Spin switching on a quantum wire with spin orbit coupling in a uniform magnetic field

Abstract

In this paper, the interplay of a uniform perpendicular magnetic field and the radius of curvature on the spin transport along a curved quantum wire with Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit interactions is investigated. From the analytic calculations of the system's eigenenergies and eigenfunctions, transmission coefficients were numerically determined using transfer-matrix approach and were used to calculate the probability current densities and output polarization. Our results show that the spin orientation of the initially spin-polarized electron can be switched for smaller values of radius of curvature of the curved quantum wire. However, the range of spin switching is largely dependent on the threading magnetic field and on the strength of the spin-orbit interactions.