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Intrinsic Spin Fluctuations Reveal the Dynamical Response Function of Holes Coupled to Nuclear Spin Baths in (In,Ga)As Quantum Dots

Yan Li, N. Sinitsyn, D. L. Smith, D. Reuter, A. D. Wieck, D. R. Yakovlev, M. Bayer, and S. A. Crooker
Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 186603 – Published 3 May 2012
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Abstract

The problem of how single central spins interact with a nuclear spin bath is essential for understanding decoherence and relaxation in many quantum systems, yet is highly nontrivial owing to the many-body couplings involved. Different models yield widely varying time scales and dynamical responses (exponential, power-law, Gaussian, etc.). Here we detect the small random fluctuations of central spins in thermal equilibrium [holes in singly charged (In,Ga)As quantum dots] to reveal the time scales and functional form of bath-induced spin relaxation. This spin noise indicates long (400 ns) spin correlation times at a zero magnetic field that increase to 5μs as dominant hole-nuclear relaxation channels are suppressed with small (100 G) applied fields. Concomitantly, the noise line shape evolves from Lorentzian to power law, indicating a crossover from exponential to slow [1/log(t)] dynamics.

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  • Received 26 January 2012

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.186603

© 2012 American Physical Society

Synopsis

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Listening to Spin Fluctuations

Published 3 May 2012

Spin-noise spectroscopy reveals a functional transition in the spin decay of quantum dots.

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Authors & Affiliations

Yan Li1, N. Sinitsyn1, D. L. Smith1, D. Reuter2, A. D. Wieck2, D. R. Yakovlev3,4, M. Bayer3, and S. A. Crooker1

  • 1Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA
  • 2Angewandte Festkörperphysik, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, Germany
  • 3Experimentelle Physik 2, Technische Universität Dortmund, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
  • 4Ioffe Physical-Technical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg 194021, Russia

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Issue

Vol. 108, Iss. 18 — 4 May 2012

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