Exponential decay of spin-spin correlation between distant defect states produced by contour hydrogenation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon molecules

The first few low-lying spin states of alternant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules of several shapes showing defect states induced by contour hydrogenation have been studied both by ab initio methods and by a precise numerical solution of Pariser-Parr-Pople (PPP) interacting model. In accordance with Lieb's theorem, the ground state shows a spin multiplicity equal to one for balanced molecules, and it gets larger values for imbalanced molecules (that is, when the number of π electrons on both subsets is not equal). Furthermore, we find a systematic decrease of the singlet-triplet splitting as a function of the distance between defects, regardless of whether the ground state is singlet or triplet. For example, a splitting smaller than 0.001 eV is obtained for a medium size C46H28 PAH molecule (di-hydrogenated [11]phenacene) showing a singlet ground state. We conclude that π electrons unbound by lattice defects tend to remain localized and unpaired even when long-range Coulomb interaction is taken into account. Therefore they show a biradical character (polyradical character for more than two defects) and should be studied as two or more local doublets. The implications for electron transport are potentially important since these unpaired electrons can trap traveling electrons or simply flip their spin at a very small energy cost.

Optical control of the spin state of two Mn atoms in a quantum dot

We report on the optical spectroscopy of the spin of two magnetic atoms (Mn) embedded in an individual quantum dot interacting with a single electron, a single exciton, or a single trion. As a result of their interaction to a common entity, the Mn spins become correlated. The dynamics of this process is probed by time-resolved spectroscopy, which permits us to determine an optical orientation time in the range of a few tens of nanoseconds. In addition, we show that the energy of the collective spin states of the two Mn atoms can be tuned through the optical Stark effect induced by a resonant laser field.

Inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy of a single nuclear spin

Detection of a single nuclear spin constitutes an outstanding problem in different fields of physics such as quantum computing or magnetic imaging. Here we show that the energy levels of a single nuclear spin can be measured by means of inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy (IETS). We consider two different systems, a magnetic adatom probed with scanning tunneling microscopy and a single Bi dopant in a silicon nanotransistor. We find that the hyperfine coupling opens new transport channels which can be resolved at experimentally accessible temperatures. Our simulations evince that IETS yields information about the occupations of the nuclear spin states, paving the way towards transport-detected single nuclear spin resonance.

Single-exciton spectroscopy of single Mn doped InAs quantum dots

The optical spectroscopy of a single InAs quantum dot doped with a single Mn atom is studied using a model Hamiltonian that includes the exchange interactions between the spins of the quantum dot electron-hole pair, the Mn atom, and the acceptor hole. Our model permits linking the photoluminescence spectra to the Mn spin states after photon emission. We focus on the relation between the charge state of the Mn, A0 or A−, and the different spectra which result through either band-to-band or band-to-acceptor transitions. We consider both neutral and negatively charged dots. Our model is able to account for recent experimental results on single Mn doped InAs photoluminescence spectra and can be used to account for future experiments in GaAs quantum dots. Similarities and differences with the case of single Mn doped CdTe quantum dots are discussed.

Electrical control of a single Mn atom in a quantum dot

We report on the reversible electrical control of the magnetic properties of a single Mn atom in an individual quantum dot. Our device permits us to prepare the dot in states with three different electric charges, 0, +1e, and -1e which result in dramatically different spin properties, as revealed by photoluminescence. Whereas in the neutral configuration the quantum dot is paramagnetic, the electron-doped dot spin states are spin rotationally invariant and the hole-doped dot spins states are quantized along the growth direction.

Impurity states in the quantum spin Hall phase in graphene

Two-dimensional insulators with time-reversal symmetry can have two topologically different phases, the quantum spin Hall and the normal phase. The former is revealed by the existence of conducting edge states that are topologically protected. Here we show that the reaction to impurity, in bulk, is radically different in the two phases and can be used as a marker for the topological phase. Within the context of the Kane-Mele model for graphene, we find that strictly normalizable in-gap impurity states only occur in the quantum spin Hall phase and carry a dissipationless current whose chirality is determined by the spin and pseudospin of the residing electron.

Spin-filtered edge states in graphene

Spin–orbit coupling changes graphene, in principle, into a two-dimensional topological insulator, also known as quantum spin Hall insulator. One of the expected consequences is the existence of spin-filtered edge states that carry dissipationless spin currents and undergo no backscattering in the presence of non-magnetic disorder, leading to quantization of conductance. Whereas, due to the small size of spin–orbit coupling in graphene, the experimental observation of these remarkable predictions is unlikely, the theoretical understanding of these spin-filtered states is shedding light on the electronic properties of edge states in other two-dimensional quantum spin Hall insulators. Here we review the effect of a variety of perturbations, like curvature, disorder, edge reconstruction, edge crystallographic orientation, and Coulomb interactions on the electronic properties of these spin filtered states.

Local probe of fractional edge states of S=1 Heisenberg spin chains

Spin chains are among the simplest physical systems in which electron-electron interactions induce novel states of matter. Here we propose to combine atomic scale engineering and spectroscopic capabilities of state of the art scanning tunnel microscopy to probe the fractionalized edge states of individual atomic scale S=1 spin chains. These edge states arise from the topological order of the ground state in the Haldane phase. We also show that the Haldane gap and the spin-spin correlation length can be measured with the same technique.