Electron spin relaxation in semiconducting carbon nanotubes: the role of hyperfine interaction

We study theoretically the \emph{return probability experiment}, used to measure the dephasing time $T_2^*$, in a double quantum dot (DQD) in semiconducting carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with spin-orbit coupling and disorder induced valley mixing. Dephasing is due to hyperfine interaction with the spins of the ${}^{13}$C nuclei. Due to the valley and spin degrees of freedom four bounded states exist for any given longitudinal mode in the quantum dot. At zero magnetic field the spin...

We review and summarize recent theoretical and experimental work on electron spin dynamics in quantum dots and related nanostructures due to hyperfine interaction with surrounding nuclear spins. This topic is of particular interest with respect to several proposals for quantum information processing in solid state systems. Specifically, we investigate the hyperfine interaction of an electron spin confined in a quantum dot in an s-type conduction band with the nuclear spins in...

The impact of symmetry breaking perturbations on the spin dependent transport through carbon nanotube quantum dots in the Kondo regime is discussed.

Covalent functionalization of semiconducting single-wall carbon nanotubes (CNT) introduces new photoluminescent emitting states. Theses states are spatially localized at around functionalization sites and strongly red-shifted relative to the emission commonly observed from the nanotube band-edge exciton state. A particularly important feature of these localized exciton states is that, because the exciton is no longer free to diffusively sample photoluminescent quenching sites...

The mechanisms that determine spin relaxation times of localized electrons in impurity bands of n-type semiconductors are considered theoretically and compared with available experimental data. The relaxation time of the non-equilibrium angular momentum is shown to be limited either by hyperfine interaction, or by spin-orbit interaction in course of exchange-induced spin diffusion. The energy relaxation time in the spin system is governed by phonon-assisted hops within pairs ...

We investigate the role of the nuclear spin quantum dynamics in hyperfine-induced spin relaxation of hopping carriers in organic semiconductors. The fast hopping regime with a small carrier spin precession during a waiting time between hops is typical for organic semiconductors possessing long spin coherence times. We consider this regime and focus on a carrier random walk diffusion in one dimension, where the effect of the nuclear spin dynamics is expected to be the stronges...

We describe dynamics of spin and valley transitions driven by alternating electric fields in quantum dots defined electrostatically within semiconducting carbon nanotubes (CNT). We use the tight-binding approach to describe the states localized within a quantum dot taking into account the circumferential spin-orbit interaction due to the s-p hybridization and external fields. The basis of eigenstates localized in the quantum dot is used in the solution of the time-dependent S...

The hyperfine coupling between the spin of a charge carrier and the nuclear spin bath is a predominant channel for the carrier spin relaxation in many organic semiconductors. We theoretically investigate the hyperfine-induced spin relaxation of a carrier performing a random walk on a d-dimensional regular lattice, in a transport regime typical for organic semiconductors. We show that in d=1 and d=2 the time dependence of the space-integrated spin polarization, P(t), is domina...

We describe an approach to electrically control the strong interaction between a single electron spin and the vibrational motion of a suspended carbon nanotube resonator. The strength of the deflection-induced spin-phonon coupling is dependent on the wavefunction of the electron confined in a lateral carbon nanotube quantum dot. An electrical field along the nanotube shifts the effective center of the quantum dot, leading to the corresponding modification of the spin-phonon s...

Carbon nanotubes (CNT) belong to the most promising new materials which can in the near future revolutionize the conventional electronics. When sandwiched between ferromagnetic electrodes, the CNT behaves like a spacer in conventional spin-valves, leading quite often to a considerable giant magneto-resistance effect (GMR). This paper is devoted to reviewing some topics related to electron correlations in CNT. The main attention however is directed to the following effects ess...