Resonant optical control of the electrically induced spin polarization by periodic excitation

We show that the electron spin polarization generated by an electrical current may have its direction controlled and magnitude amplified by periodic optical excitation. The electrical and optical spin control methods were combined and implemented in a two-dimensional electron gas. By Kerr rotation i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review. B, Condensed matter and materials physics Condensed matter and materials physics, 2014-07, Vol.90 (4), Article 041302
Main Authors: Hernandez, F. G. G., Gusev, G. M., Bakarov, A. K.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Coherence
Condensed matter
Contact
Electron spin
Excitation
Magnetic fields
Oscillations
Polarization
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Summary:We show that the electron spin polarization generated by an electrical current may have its direction controlled and magnitude amplified by periodic optical excitation. The electrical and optical spin control methods were combined and implemented in a two-dimensional electron gas. By Kerr rotation in an external transverse magnetic field, we demonstrate unexpected long-lived coherent spin oscillations of the current-induced signal in a system with large spin-orbit interaction. Using a single linearly polarized pulse for spin manipulation and detection, we found a strong dependence on the pulse optical power and sample temperature indicating the relevance of the hole spin in the electron spin initialization. The signal was mapped in a Hall bar as function of the position relative to the injection contact. Finally, the presence of an in-plane spin polarization was directly verified by rotating the experimental geometry.
ISSN:1098-0121
1550-235X
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevB.90.041302