Abstract
Weak antilocalization has been observed in the magnetoresistance of a symmetric quantum well. The two-dimensional carrier density can be tuned both by the application of hydrostatic pressure and by illumination, without any significant change in the well symmetry. We are therefore able to measure the spin relaxation time due to the spin-orbit interaction over a wide range of carrier density with a negligible Rashba coupling. We show that the spin-orbit mechanism is dominated by the first harmonic of the Dresselhaus term whereas the third harmonic remains weak due to the dominant contribution of small-angle scattering.
- Received 25 October 2006
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.74.193317
©2006 American Physical Society