Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 1 of 1
Full-Text Articles in Physics
Nondiffusive Spin Dynamics In A Two-Dimensional Electron Gas, Christopher P. Weber, J. Orenstein, B. Andrei Bernevig, Shou-Cheng Zhang, Jason Stephens, D. D. Awschalom
Nondiffusive Spin Dynamics In A Two-Dimensional Electron Gas, Christopher P. Weber, J. Orenstein, B. Andrei Bernevig, Shou-Cheng Zhang, Jason Stephens, D. D. Awschalom
Physics
We describe measurements of spin dynamics in the two-dimensional electron gas in GaAs=GaAlAs quantum wells. Optical techniques, including transient spin-grating spectroscopy, are used to probe the relaxation rates of spin polarization waves in the wave vector range from zero to 6 x 104 cm-1. We find that the spin polarization lifetime is maximal at a nonzero wave vector, in contrast with expectations based on ordinary spin diffusion, but in quantitative agreement with recent theories that treat diffusion in the presence of spin-orbit coupling