Effects of spin-orbit coupling on quantum transport

Bardarson, J.H. (2008)

Doctoral Thesis

The effect of spin-orbit coupling on various quantum transport phenomena is considered. The main topics discussed are: * How spin-orbit coupling can induce shot noise through trajectory splitting. * How spin-orbit coupling can degrade electron-hole entanglement (created by a tunnel barrier) by mode mixing. * Mesoscopic Spin Hall effect: longitudinal charge current leads to transverse spin currents in a chaotic electron cavity which has universal fluctuations around a zero mean. * How smooth disorder increases the conductivity of a graphene sheet. In addition a detailed introduction is given to both the origin of spin-orbit coupling and the consequences of time reversal symmetry in quantum systems.

• Spintronics
• Mesoscopic systems
• Spin-orbit coupling
• Spin polarized transport
• Electrical conductivity
• Weak localization
• Anderson

• All authors: Bardarson, J.H.
• Supervisor: Beenakker, C.W.J.
• Qualification: Doctor (dr.)
• Awarding Institution: Faculty of Science, Leiden University
• Date: 2008-06-04
• Title of host publication: Casimir PhD Series
• ISBN (print): 9789085930402
• Name: 2008-1