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arXiv · 2208.09575

Many-body theory of phonon-induced spin relaxation and decoherence

Jinsoo Park·Yao Luo·Jin-Jian Zhou·Marco Bernardi
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Abstract

First-principles calculations enable accurate predictions of electronic interactions and dynamics. However, computing the electron spin dynamics remains challenging. The spin-orbit interaction causes various dynamical phenomena that couple with phonons, such as spin precession and spin-flip e-ph scattering, which are difficult to describe with current first-principles calculations. In this work, we show a rigorous framework to study phonon-induced spin relaxation and decoherence, by computing the spin-spin correlation function and its vertex corrections due to e-ph interactions. We apply this approach to a model system and develop corresponding first-principles calculations of spin relaxation in GaAs. Our vertex-correction formalism is shown to capture the Elliott-Yafet, Dyakonov-Perel, and strong-precession mechanisms - three independent spin decoherence regimes with distinct physical origins - thereby unifying their theoretical treatment and calculation. Our method is general and enables quantitative studies of spin relaxation, decoherence, and transport in a wide range of materials and devices.

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Jinsoo Park, Yao Luo, Jin-Jian Zhou, Marco Bernardi. 2022-08-20. Many-body theory of phonon-induced spin relaxation and decoherence. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.106.174404

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