Catalina López-Bastidas

Spin and charge optical conductivities in spin-orbit coupled systems

We study the frequency dependent spin- and charge- conductivity tensors of a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) with Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit interaction. We show that the angular anisotropy of the spin-splitting energy induced by the interplay between the Rashba and Dresselhaus couplings gives rise to a characteristic spectral behavior of the spin and charge response which is significantly different from that of pure Rashba or Dresselhaus case. Such new spectral structures open the possibility for control of the optical response by applying an external bias and/or by adjusting the light frequency. In addition, it is shown that the relative strength of the spin-orbit coupling parameters can be obtained through optical probing.

Plasmon Features of Coinage Metal Nanoparticles Supported on Zeolites

The plasmonic features in the optical response of coinage metal nanoparticles supported on different type of zeolites were studied. The shifts in the plasmon frequency were analyzed for Cu, Ag, and Au nanoparticles in mordenite, β-zeolite, and Y-zeolite. It was shown experimentally that the resonance energy is sensitive both to type of zeolite structure and counter-cation of zeolite, as well as to annealing temperature and chemical composition of zeolite, their SiO2/Al2O3 molar ratio. A theoretical framework was employed to identify physical mechanism for this sensitivity. Within a simple model, the width of the absorption window identified in the imaginary part of the bulk dielectric function of the different metals was seen to play the important role in establishing the range of the plasmon energies available. In terms of an effective dielectric function, the composite medium was fully described by the complex dielectric function of the metal involved, the dissipation-free dielectric function of the zeolite matrix, and the filling fraction which relates the volume of metal inclusions as a fraction of the total sample volume. The sensitivity of the optical spectra is understood in terms of variations in both the dielectric response of the zeolite matrix as well as nanoparticle size.

Optical response of Cu clusters in zeolite template.

Optical properties of Cu clusters embedded in mordenite are studied experimentally and theoretically. In this work we discuss spectral features of the system at various reduction steps and compare then with the results of spectra obtained within a theoretical model. The model employed consists of Cu clusters embedded in a homogeneous matrix. A second model employed introduced further variation considering a three component system where air or water can be present. The macroscopic dielectric response of the system is obtained within the Maxwell Garnett approximation. In this approach the complex non-local in homogeneous dielectric response of the zeolite+copper system is replaced by an effective homogeneous dielectric function. Metallic clusters can occupy specific available cavities in the zeolite framework. The presence of clusters that are smaller than the cavities in which they reside can lead to an air-Cu or water-Cu interface which allows shifts in surface plasmon resonance energies. As observed experimentally the energy of the main resonance is seen to be insensitive to the filling fraction ratios and highly susceptible to the embedding matrix properties. Reflectance spectra have been obtained which can be explained within this model.

Interplay of the Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling in the optical spin susceptibility of 2D electron systems

We present calculations of the frequency-dependent spin susceptibility tensor of a two-dimensional electron gas with competing Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit interaction. It is shown that the interplay between both types of spin-orbit coupling gives rise to an anisotropic spectral behavior of the spin density response function which is significantly different from that of vanishing Rashba or Dresselhaus case. Strong resonances are developed in the spin susceptibility as a consequence of the angular anisotropy of the energy spin-splitting. This characteristic optical modulable response may be useful to experimentally probe spin accumulation and spin density currents in such systems. (© 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Spin-torque contribution to the ac spin Hall conductivity

Using the recently proposed definition of a conserved spin-current operator [J. Shi et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 076604 (2006)], we explore the frequency dependent spin Hall conductivity for a two-dimensional electron gas with Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit interaction in response to an oscillating electric field. We show that the optical spectrum of the spin Hall conductivity exhibits remarkable changes when the definition of a conserved spin current is applied. Such behavior is mainly due to a significant contribution of the spin-torque term which is absent in the conventional form of the spin current. In addition, it is observed that the magnitude and direction of the dynamic spin Hall current strongly depend on the electric field frequency as with the interplay of the spin-orbit coupling strengths.

Dynamical screening response and optical conductivity of a two-dimensional electron gas with spin–orbit interaction

Abstract. We investigate the dielectric response, the optical conductivity, and the plasmon spectrum of a two-dimensional electron gas with Rashba and Dresselhaus spin–orbit (SO) interaction. Using the self-consistent field approach, we derive expressions for the dispersion relations of the intra- and inter-SO plasmons. We found that the latter is immersed within the continuum of inter-SO single-particle excitations. The intra-SO plasmons remain undamped and almost unaffected by the SO coupling. The longitudinal optical conductivity shows, however, a dependence on the direction of the externally applied potential, caused by the anisotropic splitting of the spin states. In addition to the control through the driving frequency or electrical gating, this new aspect of the optical absorption spectrum might be useful in spintronics applications.

Anisotropic longitudinal optical conductivity of a spin-orbit coupled system: effect of cubic Dresselhaus coupling

We investigate the effect of the oft-neglected cubic terms of the Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling on the longitudinal current response of a two-dimensional electron gas with both Rashba and linear Dresselhaus interactions. Changes caused by these nonlinear-in-momentum terms on the absorption spectrum becomes more notable under SU(2) symmetry conditions, when the Rashba and linear Dresselhaus coupling strengths are tuned to be equal. The longitudinal optical response no longer vanishes then and shows a strong dependence on the direction of the externally applied electric field, giving a signature of the relative size of the several spin-orbits contributions. This anisotropic response arises from the non isotropic splitting of the spin states induced by the interplay of Rashba and Dresselhaus couplings. However, the presence of the cubic terms introduces characteristic spectral features and can modify the overall shape of the spectra for some values of the relative sizes of the spin-orbit parameters. In addition to the control through the driven frequency or electrical gating, this directional aspect of the current response suggests new ways of manipulation and supports the use of interband optics as a sensitive probe of spin-orbit mechanisms in semiconductor spintronics.

Bulk response of composites from finite samples

The bulk macroscopic dielectric response of a disordered composite is calculated employing a large finite sample instead of an infinite one obtained by replicating a unit cell, as has usually been done. We explicitly account for boundary effects through the macroscopic depolarization field, and finite size corrections are minimized by the large size of the system. The generation of the composite and the calculation of the interactions between the great number of particles become feasible using a newly developed hierarchical multi-resolution scheme. The dielectric response of a composite made up of Ag spheres embedded in glass and the composition independent spectral density agree with those from previous simulations and we discuss their differences with analytical theories based on a renormalized polarizability. Confinement effects due to inhomogeneities close to the boundary of the system are also investigated.

Effect of cubic Dresselhaus interaction on the longitudinal optical conductivity of a spin-orbit coupled system

We investigate the effect of the oft-neglected cubic terms of the Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling on the longitudinal current response of a two-dimensional electron gas with both Rashba and linear Dresselhaus interactions. For a quantum well grown in the [001] direction, the changes caused by these nonlinear-in-momentum terms on the absorption spectrum become more notable under SU(2) symmetry conditions, when the Rashba and linear Dresselhaus coupling strengths are tuned to be equal. The longitudinal optical response no longer vanishes then and shows a strong dependence on the direction of the externally applied electric field, giving a signature of the relative size of several spin-orbit contributions. This anisotropic response arises from the nonisotropic splitting of the spin states induced by the interplay of Rashba and Dresselhaus couplings. However, the presence of cubic terms introduces characteristic spectral features and can modify the overall shape of the spectra for some values of the relative ...

Plasmon spectra of binary Ag-Cu mixtures supported in mordenite

Ag and Cu nanoparticles supported in mordenite structure have been formed applying reduction temperatures in the range 100-400 C and varying Ag/Cu atomic ratios. Absorbance spectra of samples exhibit signature features consistent with absorption via localized surface plasmons propagating in metallic nanoparticles. The formation of binary Ag-Cu nanoparticles is inferred. Theoretical calculations within an average field Maxwell-Garnett model modified for a three component composite system are used to interpret resonance shifts and relative intensities of plasmon peaks in the experimental findings. Within the applied model the relative volume occupied by each metallic species can be changed. This permits the simulation of experimental conditions of the samples. It is experimentally found that the simultaneous presence of two metal species during the synthesis affects reduction temperatures, stability and relative concentration of embedded nanoparticles. Furthermore the observed optical spectra of the supported bimetallic nanoparticles is contrasted with that of single metal nanoparticles studied previously. Our study represents a contribution to the possibility of optical monitoring of synthetic pathways in zeolite + metal nanoparticle systems.