Spin-sensitive atom scattering via spin-orbit interaction

We study the spin-sensitive scattering of the spin-orbit (SO) coupled cold atom subject to a moving spin-independent rectangular potential barrier. Due to that SO coupling breaks Galilean invariance, the spin orientation of the atom can be switched unidirectionally and thus can serve as a one-way sp...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The European physical journal. D, Atomic, molecular, and optical physics Atomic, molecular, and optical physics, 2020-11, Vol.74 (11), Article 226
Main Authors: Zheng, Ren-Fei, Li, Zheng-Chun, Qin, Jie-Li, Zhang, Weiping, Zhou, Lu, Li, Yan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applications of Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos Theory
Atomic
Cold spinning
Molecular
Optical and Plasma Physics
Physical Chemistry
Physics
Physics and Astronomy
Polarization (spin alignment)
Potential barriers
Quantum Information Technology
Quantum Physics
Regular Article
Scattering
Spectroscopy/Spectrometry
Spin-orbit interactions
Spintronics
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Summary:We study the spin-sensitive scattering of the spin-orbit (SO) coupled cold atom subject to a moving spin-independent rectangular potential barrier. Due to that SO coupling breaks Galilean invariance, the spin orientation of the atom can be switched unidirectionally and thus can serve as a one-way spin switch. Different atomic scattering processes are analyzed at different barrier velocities. We explore the spin polarization rate and the transmission coefficient in a wide range of barrier velocities and find good agreement with the corresponding experiment. The spin switch can reach an efficiency close to 1 at appropriate parameters. This study presents a comprehensive understanding of the physical mechanism underlying the system’s function as a spintronic device. Graphical abstract
ISSN:1434-6060
1434-6079
DOI:10.1140/epjd/e2020-10379-9