TY - JOUR
T1 - Discovery of a Novel Linear-in-k Spin Splitting for Holes in the 2D GaAs/AlAs System
AU - Luo, Jun Wei
AU - Chantis, Athanasios N.
AU - Van Schilfgaarde, Mark
AU - Bester, Gabriel
AU - Zunger, Alex
PY - 2010/2/10
Y1 - 2010/2/10
N2 - The spin-orbit interaction generally leads to spin splitting (SS) of electron and hole energy states in solids, a splitting that is characterized by a scaling with the wave vector k. Whereas for 3D bulk zinc blende solids the electron (heavy-hole) SS exhibits a cubic (linear) scaling with k, in 2D quantum wells, the electron (heavy-hole) SS is currently believed to have a mostly linear (cubic) scaling. Such expectations are based on using a small 3D envelope function basis set to describe 2D physics. By treating instead the 2D system explicitly as a system in its own right, we discover a large linear scaling of hole states in 2D. This scaling emerges from coupling of hole bands that would be unsuspected by the standard model that judges coupling by energy proximity. This discovery of a linear Dresselhaus k scaling for holes in 2D implies a different understanding of hole physics in low dimensions.
AB - The spin-orbit interaction generally leads to spin splitting (SS) of electron and hole energy states in solids, a splitting that is characterized by a scaling with the wave vector k. Whereas for 3D bulk zinc blende solids the electron (heavy-hole) SS exhibits a cubic (linear) scaling with k, in 2D quantum wells, the electron (heavy-hole) SS is currently believed to have a mostly linear (cubic) scaling. Such expectations are based on using a small 3D envelope function basis set to describe 2D physics. By treating instead the 2D system explicitly as a system in its own right, we discover a large linear scaling of hole states in 2D. This scaling emerges from coupling of hole bands that would be unsuspected by the standard model that judges coupling by energy proximity. This discovery of a linear Dresselhaus k scaling for holes in 2D implies a different understanding of hole physics in low dimensions.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=76649092348&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1103/PhysRevLett.104.066405
DO - 10.1103/PhysRevLett.104.066405
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:76649092348
SN - 0031-9007
VL - 104
JO - Physical Review Letters
JF - Physical Review Letters
IS - 6
M1 - Article No. 066405
ER -