Regensburg 2010 – scientific programme

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TT: Fachverband Tiefe Temperaturen

TT 36: TR: Poster Session

TT 36.11: Poster

Thursday, March 25, 2010, 14:00–18:00, Poster A

Transport characteristics of carbon nanotube devices with spin-orbit coupling and parallel magnetic field — •Miriam del Valle, Magdalena Marganska, and Milena Grifoni — Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Regensburg, 93 053 Regensburg, Germany

Spin-orbit interaction was long thought to be negligible in carbon nanotubes (CNTs) due to the low atomic mass of carbon. However, recent experiments on CNT devices have shown a clear signature of spin-orbit coupling, originating in the curvature of the nanotube. We present here the calculations of density of states and transport characteristics of CNT devices including spin-independent curvature effects, spin-orbit coupling and the presence of a parallel magnetic field.

The calculations are done both with an effective model in reciprocal space and a real space tight-binding Hamiltonian with one p_z orbital per atom. The results allow us to interpret experimental data, throwing light onto the role of curvature and spin-orbit coupling in CNT systems. Among their most interesting effects is the possibility of highly spin-polarized currents close to the charge neutrality point, which may be useful in spintronics devices.