Nondiffusive spin dynamics in a two-dimensional electron gas.
We describe measurements of spin dynamics in the two-dimensional electron gas in GaAs/GaAlAs quantum wells. Optical techniques, including transient spin-grating spectroscopy, are used to probe the relaxation rates of spin polarization waves in the wave vector range from zero to 6x10(4) cm-1. We find that the spin polarization lifetime is maximal at a nonzero wave vector, in contrast with expectations based on ordinary spin diffusion, but in quantitative agreement with recent theories that treat diffusion in the presence of spin-orbit coupling.
Weber
C P
CP
Physics Department, University of California, Berkeley and Materials Science Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.
Orenstein
J
J
Bernevig
B Andrei
BA
Zhang
Shou-Cheng
SC
Stephens
Jason
J
Awschalom
D D
DD