Ultrafast spin dynamics in II-VI diluted magnetic semiconductors with spin-orbit interaction

Abstract

We study theoretically the ultrafast spin dynamics of II-VI diluted magnetic semiconductors in the presence of spin-orbit interaction. Our goal is to explore the interplay or competition between the exchange $sd$-coupling and the spin-orbit interaction in both bulk and quantum well systems. For bulk materials we concentrate on Zn${}_{1-x}$Mn${}_x$Se and take into account the Dresselhaus interaction, while for quantum wells we examine Hg${}_{1-x-y}$Mn${}_x$Cd${}_y$Te systems with a strong Rashba coupling. Our calculations were performed with a recently developed formalism which incorporates electronic correlations beyond mean-field theory originated from the exchange $sd$-coupling. For both bulk and quasi-two-dimensional systems we find that, by varying the system parameters within realistic ranges, both interactions can be chosen to play a dominant role or to compete on an equal footing with each other. The most notable effect of the spin-orbit interaction in both types of systems is the appearance of strong oscillations where the exchange $sd$-coupling by itself only causes an exponential decay of the mean electronic spin components. The mean-field approximation is also studied and it is interpreted analytically why it shows a strong suppression of the spin-orbit-induced dephasing of the spin component parallel to the Mn magnetic field.

9 pages, 5 figures

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• Photo-induced precession of magnetization in ferromagnetic (Ga,Mn)As
• Ultrafast demagnetization in the sp-d model: a theoretical study
• Femtosecond Coherent Control of Spin with Light in (Ga,Mn)As ferromagnets
• Electron spin relaxation in paramagnetic Ga(Mn)As quantum wells
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Cited by in corpus (2)

• Influence of non-magnetic impurity scattering on the spin dynamics in diluted magnetic semiconductors
• Origins of overshoots in the exciton spin dynamics in semiconductors