arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Vladimir I. Fal'ko.
We propose a kinetic theory of transport in metals embedded with ferromagnetic nanoclusters, describing the dependence of the form of magnetoresistance on anisotropy characteristics of the ensemble of clusters and the influence of the electron spin depolarisation by clusters. We note that this effect is strongest when all the clusters have the same intrinsic easy-axis anisotropy.
We study the acousto-electric (AE) effect generated by surface acoustic waves (SAW) in a high mobility 2D electron gas (2DEG) with isotropic and especially small-angle impurity scattering. In both cases the acousto-electric effect exhibits Weiss oscillations periodic in $B^{-1}$ due to the commensurability of the SAW period with the size of the cyclotron orbit and resonances at the SAW frequency $ω=kω_{c}$ multiple of the cyclotron frequency. We describe how oscillations in the acousto-electric effect are damped in low fields where $ω_{c}τ_{\ast}\lesssim1$ (with the time scale $τ_{\ast}$ dependent on the type of scattering) and find its non-oscillatory part which remains finite to the lowest fields.
Inelastic spin relaxation and spin splitting $ε_{\mathrm{s}}$ in lateral quantum dots are studied in the regime of strong in-plane magnetic field. Due to both g-factor energy dependence and spin-orbit coupling $ε_{\mathrm{s}}$ demonstrates a substantial non-linear magnetic field dependence similar to that observed by R.Hanson \textit{et al} [Phys. Rev. Lett. \textbf{91}, 196802 (2003)]. It also varies with the in-plane orientation of magnetic field due to crystalline anisotropy of spin-orbit coupling. Spin relaxation rate is also anisotropic, the anisotropy increasing with the field. When the magnetic length is less than the 'thickness' of GaAs dot, the relaxation can be order of magnitude faster for $\mathbf{B}% \Vert\lbrack100]$ than for $\mathbf{B\Vert}[110]$.
We show that a magnetic field can influnce the proximity effect in NS junctions via diamagnetic screening current flowing in the superconductor. Using ballistic quasi-one-dimensional (Q1D) electron channels as an example, we show that the supercurrent flow shifts the proximity-induced minigap in the excitation spectrum of a Q1D system from the Fermi level to higher quasiparticle energies. Thermal conductance of a Q1D channel (normalized by that of a normal Q1D ballistic system) is predicted to manifest such a spectral feature as a nonmonotonic behavior at temperatures corresponding to the energy of excitation into the gapful part of the spectrum.
We consider the effective mass model of spinless electrons in single wall carbon nanotubes that is equivalent to the Dirac equation for massless fermions. Within this framework we derive all possible energy independent hard wall boundary conditions that are applicable to metallic tubes. The boundary conditions are classified in terms of their symmetry properties and we demonstrate that the use of different boundary conditions will result in varying degrees of valley degeneracy breaking of the single particle energy spectrum.
Mohanty and Webb [Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 146601 (2002), cond-mat/0204298] claim that their data on conductance fluctuations in gold wires contradict the one-parameter scaling. We show that flaws in extracting values of the cumulants (irreducible moments) < > of the conductance distribution (for n=3,4) invalidate all the conclusions made there. The actual values of the cumulants determined by us from the published raw data contained in Ref. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 146601 (2002)] are orders of magnitude smaller than those claimed. Moreover, the limited applicability of the ergodicity hypothesis makes the higher order cumulants extracted from magnetofingerprints statistically unreliable. Thus, the data of Ref. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 146601 (2002)] do not warrant any statement on the violation or validity of the one-parameter scaling.
We study the geometrical commensurability oscillations imposed onto the resistivity of 2D electrons in a perpendicular magnetic field by a propagating surface acoustic wave (SAW). We show that, for $ω<ω_{c}$, this effect is composed of an anisotropic dynamical classical contribution increasing the resistivity and the non-equilibrium quantum contribution isotropically decreasing resistivity, and we predict the appearance of zero-resistance states associated with geometrical commensurability at large SAW amplitude. We also describe how the commensurability oscillations modulate the resonances in the SAW-induced resistivity at multiples of the cyclotron frequency.
We establish the consistency of the Fermi liquid description and find a relation between Fermi liquid constants for the two dimensional electron system near the point of full polarization due to a parallel magnetic field $H$. Our results enable us to predict connections between different thermodynamic properties of the system. In particular, we find that near the point of full polarization $H_c$, the thermodynamic compressibility of the system experiences a jump with the subleading $(H_c-H)^{1/2}$ dependence on the magnetic field. Also, the magnetization has a cusp with the dependence of the type $(H-H_c) + (H_c-H)^{3/2}$ at $H<H_c$.
We evaluate a typical value of higher order cumulants (irreducible moments) of conductance fluctuations that could be extracted from magneto-conductance measurements in a single sample when an external magnetic field is swept over an interval $B_0$. We find that the n-th cumulant has a sample-dependent random part $\pm \gN 2^{n/2}\sqrt{a_{n}B_{c}/B_{0}}$, where $\gN 2$ is the variance of conductance fluctuations, $B_{c}$ is a correlation field, and $a_{n}\sim n!$. This means that an apparent deviation of the conductance distribution from a Gaussian shape, manifested by non-vanishing higher cumulants, can be a spurious result of correlations of conductances at different values of the magnetic field.
We develop a theoretical model of magnon-assisted transport in a mesoscopic tunnel junction between a ferromagnetic metal and a normal (non-magnetic) metal. The current response to a bias voltage is dominated by the contribution of elastic processes rather than magnon-assisted processes and the degree of spin polarization of the current, parameterized by a function $P (Π_{\uparrow (\downarrow)},Π_{N})$, $0 \leq P \leq 1$, depends on the relative sizes of the majority $Π_{\uparrow}$ and minority $Π_{\downarrow}$ band Fermi surface in the ferromagnet and of the Fermi surface of the normal metal $Π_{N}$. On the other hand, magnon-assisted tunneling gives the dominant contribution to the current response to a temperature difference across the junction. The resulting thermopower is large, $S \sim - (k_B/e) (k_BT/ω_{D})^{3/2} P (Π_{\uparrow (\downarrow)},Π_{N})$, where the temperature dependent factor $(k_{B}T/ω_{D})^{3/2}$ reflects the fractional change in the net magnetization of the ferromagnet due to thermal magnons at temperature $T$ (Bloch's $T^{3/2}$ law) and $ω_{D}$ is the magnon Debye energy.
We present a theoretical description of the thermopower due to magnon-assisted tunneling in a mesoscopic tunnel junction between two ferromagnetic metals. The thermopower is generated in the course of thermal equilibration between two baths of magnons, mediated by electrons. For a junction between two ferromagnets with antiparallel polarizations, the ability of magnon-assisted tunneling to create thermopower $S_{AP}$ depends on the difference between the size $Π_{\uparrow, \downarrow}$ of the majority and minority band Fermi surfaces and it is proportional to a temperature dependent factor $(k_{B}T/ω_{D})^{3/2}$ where $ω_{D}$ is the magnon Debye energy. The latter factor reflects the fractional change in the net magnetization of the reservoirs due to thermal magnons at temperature $T$ (Bloch's $T^{3/2}$ law). In contrast, the contribution of magnon-assisted tunneling to the thermopower $S_P$ of a junction with parallel polarizations is negligible. As the relative polarizations of ferromagnetic layers can be manipulated by an external magnetic field, a large difference $ΔS = S_{AP} - S_P \approx S_{AP} \sim - (k_B/e) f (Π_{\uparrow},Π_{\downarrow}) (k_BT/ω_{D})^{3/2}$ results in a magnetothermopower effect. This magnetothermopower effect becomes giant in the extreme case of a junction between two half-metallic ferromagnets, $ΔS \sim - k_B/e$.
We review various aspects of magnetoresistance in (quasi-)twodimensional systems subject to an in-plane magnetic field. Concentrating on single-particle effects, three mechanisms leading to magnetoresistance are discussed: the orbital effect of the magnetic field -- due to inter-subband mixing -- and the sensitivity of this effect to the geometrical symmetry of the system, the interplay between spin-orbit coupling and Zeeman splitting, and the influence of the field on spin scattering at magnetic impurities.
We present a model of the thermopower in a mesoscopic tunnel junction between two ferromagnetic metals based upon magnon-assisted tunneling processes. In our model, the thermopower is generated in the course of thermal equilibration between two baths of magnons, mediated by electrons. We predict a particularly large thermopower effect in the case of a junction between two half-metallic ferromagnets with antiparallel polarizations, $S_{AP} \sim - (k_B/e)$, in contrast to $S_{P} \approx 0$ for a parallel configuration.
The effects of interplay between spin-orbit coupling and Zeeman splitting on weak localisation and universal conductance fluctuations in lateral semiconductor quantum dots are analysed: All possible symmetry classes of corresponding random matrix theories are listed and crossovers between them achievable by sweeping magnetic field and changing the dot parameters are described. We also suggest experiments to measure the spin-orbit coupling constants.
We propose a new process of magnon-assisted Andreev reflection at a ferromagnetic metal - superconductor interface, which consists of the simultaneous injection of a Cooper pair from the superconductor and the emission of a magnon inside the ferromagnet. At low temperature this process represents an additional channel for sub-gap transport across an FS interface, which lifts restrictions on the current resulting from the necessity to match spin-polarized current in the ferromagnet with spin-less current in the superconductor. For a junction between a superconductor and a ferromagnet with an arbitrary degree of polarization, the inelastic magnon-assisted Andreev reflection process would manifest itself as a nonlinear addition to the $I(V)$ characteristics which is asymmetric with respect to the sign of the bias voltage and is related to the density of states of magnons in the ferromagnet. Expressions for the subgap $I(V)$ characteristics are given for arbitrary interfacial quality whilst the limiting cases of uniformly transparent and disordered interfaces are discussed in detail.
We show how the in-plane magnetic field, which breaks time-reversal and rotational symmetries of the orbital motion of electrons in a heterostructure due to the momentum-dependent inter-subband mixing, affects weak localisation correction to conductance of a large-area chaotic lateral quantum dot and parameteric dependences of universal conductance fluctuations in it.
Spin-flip rates in GaAs quantum dots can be quite slow, thus opening up the possibilities to manipulate spin states in the dots. We present here estimations of inelastic spin-flip rates mediated by hyperfine interaction with nuclei. Under general assumptions the nucleus mediated rate is proportional to the phonon relaxation rate for the corresponding non-spin-flip transitions. The rate can be accelerated in the vicinity of a singlet-triplet excited states crossing. The small proportionality coefficient depends inversely on the number of nuclei in the quantum dot. We compare our results with known mechanisms of spin-flip in $GaAs$ quantum dot.
A spectroscopic method is applied to measure the inelastic quasi-particle relaxation rate in a disordered Fermi liquid. The quasi-particle relaxation rate, $γ$ is deduced from the magnitude of fluctuations in the local density of states, which are probed using resonant tunneling through a localized impurity state. We study its dependence on the excitation energy $E$ measured from the Fermi level. In a disordered metal (heavily doped GaAs) we find $γ\propto E^{3/2}$ within the experimentally accessible energy interval, in agreement with the Altshuler-Aronov theory for electron-electron interactions in diffusive conductors.