Engineered spin-orbit interactions in LaAlO<sub>3</sub>/SrTiO<sub>3</sub>-based 1D serpentine electron waveguides.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 33239285.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1126/sciadv.aba6337 and PMC identifier 7688326.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
The quest to understand, design, and synthesize new forms of quantum matter guides much of contemporary research in condensed matter physics. One-dimensional (1D) electronic systems form the basis for some of the most interesting and exotic phases of quantum matter. Here, we describe a family of quasi-1D nanostructures, based on LaAlO<sub>3</sub>/SrTiO<sub>3</sub> electron waveguides, in which a sinusoidal transverse spatial modulation is imposed. These devices display unique dispersive features in the subband spectra, namely, a sizeable shift (∼7 T) in the spin-dependent subband minima, and fractional conductance plateaus. The first property can be understood as an engineered spin-orbit interaction associated with the periodic acceleration of electrons as they undulate through the nanowire (ballistically), while the second property signifies the presence of enhanced electron-electron scattering in this system. The ability to engineer these interactions in quantum wires contributes to the tool set of a 1D solid-state quantum simulation platform.