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Updated: Jan 24, 2026

Compact Quantum Dots for Single-molecule Imaging
Published on: October 9, 2012
Spin-orbit-induced hole spin relaxation in a quantum dot molecule: the effect of s-p coupling
Karol Kawa1, Paweł Machnikowski1
1Department of Theoretical Physics, Faculty of Fundamental Problems of Technology, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, 50-370 Wrocław, Poland.
Abstract:
We study the effect of the coupling between the hole s shell of one quantum dot and the p shell in the other dot forming a vertically stacked self-assembled quantum dot molecule on the spin relaxation between the sublevels of the hole s state. Using an effective model that captures the spin-orbit effects in the p shell irrespective of their origin, we show that the strong spin mixing in the p shell can be transferred to the s shell of the other dot, leading to enhanced spin relaxation in a certain energy range around the s-p resonance if the dots are misaligned and the magnetic field is tilted from the sample plane.
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