The effects of an alternating bias on a single orbital spin impurity

Abstract

Electron spin resonance with the scanning tunneling microscope (ESR-STM) enables coherent manipulation and detection of individual atomic spins with atomic-scale spatial resolution, yet the microscopic mechanism by which the radiofrequency (RF) bias drives the spin remains under debate. We study this problem using a Redfield quantum-master-equation framework in which the oscillating bias enters explicitly through the electronic reservoirs rather than through an effective time-dependent tunneling amplitude. In the semiclassical limit, the RF voltage periodically sweeps the system through its static transport landscape, so that the transport regime depends jointly on the DC bias and RF amplitude. When the RF trajectory approaches or crosses a charge transition, the damping-like torque (DLT) associated with spin-polarized charge transfer is strongly enhanced. By contrast, the field-like torque (FLT) induced by the exchange field remains finite deeper in the Coulomb-blockade (CB) regime because it originates from virtual charge fluctuations. The RF trajectory also averages strongly bias-dependent static quantities over a finite voltage range, smoothing features such as the Lamb shift near the charge thresholds. These results establish the RF amplitude as a control parameter not only for the strength of the ESR drive, but also for the transport regime and the ratio between FLT and DLT.