Carrier and Spin Dynamics in Large Spin-Orbit Semiconductor Nanowire Heterostructures

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Non-Technical Abstract:This project is to research the properties of artificially grown nanostructures which have the special property that they have very strong spin interactions. There is tremendous interest in using such materials as a basis for using the quantum nature of spin states in computers, because these materials allow control and manipulation of the spins using either applied magnetic or electric fields. The research group in this project uses ultrafast laser pulses in the mid-infrared to measure the dynamics of these electronic states in single nanowires in order to understand what fundamental interactions dominate their behavior. With this information the group can optimize the physical nanostructure for specific properties which can be used in both fundamental physics and also for new technologies. This project involves training undergraduate and graduate students in state-of-the art techniques for fabricating and measuring nanostructures which is considered a critical need for the future economic growth in the United States.Technical Abstract:This project is to research the properties of semiconductor nanowire heterostructures which have large spin-orbit interactions, which usually are also materials with small band gaps. These materials are considered important candidates as a basis for development of spintronic devices because the spin states can be controlled and manipulated using applied magnetic and electric fields. The research group uses pump-probe measurements of the Rayleigh scattering efficiency in the mid-infrared from single nanowires in order to probe the electronic states and their dynamics in applied electric and magnetic fields. The fundamental goal of this research is to understand what fundamental interactions in the nanostructure control their dynamics in order to find ways to design the nanostructure in order to control these states. Such optimized nanostructures can be used as a basis for the study of new physics and the development of new technologies. Both graduate and undergraduate students in this project are trained in state-of-the-art synthesis techniques as well as optical spectroscopies which provide sensitive measure of energy states and their interactions within single nanostructures.