First-principles study of the electronic structure and dynamical electronic excitations of strong spin-orbit metal Pb: bulk, surface and nanosized films

En la presente tesis se ha realizado el estudio de primeros principios (esto es, sinhacer uso de parámetros ajustables) de la estructura electrónica y la dinámica deexcitaciones electrónicas en plomo, tanto en volumen como en superficie y en formade películas de espesor nanométrico. Al presentar el plomo un número atómico alto(82), deben tenerse en cuenta los efectos relativistas. Con este fin, el doctorando haimplementado el acoplo espín-órbita en los códigos computacionales que hanrepresentado la principal herramienta de trabajo.En volumen, se han encontrado fuertes efectos relativistas asi como de lalocalización de los electrones, tanto en la respuesta dieléctrica (excitacioneselectrónicas colectivas) como en el tiempo de vida de electrones excitados. Lacomparación de nuestros resultados con medidas experimentales ha ayudado aprofundizar en dichos efectos.En el estudio de las películas a escala nanométrica se han hallado fuertes efectoscuánticos debido al confinamiento de los estados electrónicos. Dichos efectos semanifiestan tanto en el estado fundamental (en acuerdo con estudiosexperimentales), como en la respuesta dieléctrica a través de la aparición y dinámicade plasmones de diversas características. Los efectos relativistas, a pesar de no serimportantes en la estructura electrónica de las películas, son los responsables de ladesaparación del plasmón de baja energía en nuestros resultados.

Pumped double quantum dot with spin-orbit coupling

We study driven by an external electric field quantum orbital and spin dynamics of electron in a one-dimensional double quantum dot with spin-orbit coupling. Two types of external perturbation are considered: a periodic field at the Zeeman frequency and a single half-period pulse. Spin-orbit coupling leads to a nontrivial evolution in the spin and orbital channels and to a strongly spin-dependent probability density distribution. Both the interdot tunneling and the driven motion contribute into the spin evolution. These results can be important for the design of the spin manipulation schemes in semiconductor nanostructures.

Spin-related phenomena in magnetic and spin-orbit couppled bose-einstein condensates

129 p.

Spin-helical Dirac states in graphene induced by polar-substrate surfaces with giant spin-orbit interaction: a new platform for spintronics

Spintronics, or spin electronics, is aimed at efficient control and manipulation of spin degrees of freedom in electron systems. To comply with demands of nowaday spintronics, the studies of electron systems hosting giant spin-orbit-split electron states have become one of the most important problems providing us with a basis for desirable spintronics devices. In construction of such devices, it is also tempting to involve graphene, which has attracted great attention because of its unique and remarkable electronic properties and was recognized as a viable replacement for silicon in electronics. In this case, a challenging goal is to lift spin degeneracy of graphene Dirac states. Here, we propose a novel pathway to achieve this goal by means of coupling of graphene and polar-substrate surface states with giant Rashba-type spin-splitting. We theoretically demonstrate it by constructing the graphene@BiTeCl system, which appears to possess spin-helical graphene Dirac states caused by the strong interaction of Dirac and Rashba electrons. We anticipate that our findings will stimulate rapid growth in theoretical and experimental investigations of graphene Dirac states with real spin-momentum locking, which can revolutionize the graphene spintronics and become a reliable base for prospective spintronics applications.

von Neumann spin measurements with Rashba fields

We show that dynamics in the spin-orbit coupling field simulate the von Neumann measurement of a particle spin. We demonstrate how the measurement influences the spin and coordinate evolution of a particle by comparing two examples of such a procedure. The first example is a simultaneous measurement of spin components, sigma(x) and sigma(y), corresponding to non-commuting operators, which cannot be accurately obtained together at a given time instant due to the Heisenberg uncertainty ratio. By mapping spin dynamics onto a spatial walk, such a procedure determines measurement-time averages of sigma(x) and sigma(y), which can already be precisely evaluated in a single short-time measurement. The other, qualitatively different, example is the spin of a one-dimensional particle in a magnetic field. Here, the measurement outcome depends on the angle between the spin-orbit coupling and magnetic fields. These results can be applied to studies of spin-orbit coupled cold atoms and electrons in solids.

Defect and structural imperfection effects on the electronic properties of BiTeI surfaces

The surface electronic structure of the narrow-gap seminconductor BiTeI exhibits a large Rashba-splitting which strongly depends on the surface termination. Here we report on a detailed investigation of the surface morphology and electronic properties of cleaved BiTeI single crystals by scanning tunneling microscopy, photoelectron spectroscopy (ARPES, XPS), electron diffraction (SPA-LEED) and density functional theory calculations. Our measurements confirm a previously reported coexistence of Te- and I-terminated surface areas

A chemically inert Rashba split interface electronic structure of C-60, FeOEP and PTCDA on BiAg2/Ag(111) substrates

The fields of organic electronics and spintronics have the potential to revolutionize the electronics industry. Finding the right materials that can retain their electrical and spin properties when combined is a technological and fundamental challenge. We carry out the study of three archetypal organic molecules in intimate contact with the BiAg2 surface alloy. We show that the BiAg2 alloy is an especially suited substrate due to its inertness as support for molecular films, exhibiting an almost complete absence of substrate-molecular interactions. This is inferred from the persistence of a completely unaltered giant spin-orbit split surface state of the BiAg2 substrate, and from the absence of significant metallic screening of charged molecular levels in the organic layer. Spin-orbit split states in BiAg2 turn out to be far more robust to organic overlayers than previously thought.

Nonlinear magnetic vortex dynamics in a circular nanodot excited by spin-polarized current

We investigate analytically and numerically nonlinear vortex spin torque oscillator dynamics in a circular magnetic nanodot induced by a spin-polarized current perpendicular to the dot plane. We use a generalized nonlinear Thiele equation including spin-torque term by Slonczewski for describing the nanosize vortex core transient and steady orbit motions and analyze nonlinear contributions to all forces in this equation. Blue shift of the nano-oscillator frequency increasing the current is explained by a combination of the exchange, magnetostatic, and Zeeman energy contributions to the frequency nonlinear coefficient. Applicability and limitations of the standard nonlinear nano-oscillator model are discussed.