Limitation of electron mobility from hyperfine interaction in ultra-clean quantum wells and topological insulators

Abstract

The study of electron transport and scattering processes limiting electron mobility in high-quality semiconductor structures is central to solid-state electronics. Here, we uncover an unavoidable source of electron scattering which is caused by fluctuations of nuclear spins. We calculate the momentum relaxation time of electrons in quantum wells governed by the hyperfine interaction between electrons and nuclei and show that this time drastically depends on the spatial correlation of nuclear spins. Moreover, the scattering processes accompanied by a spin flip are a source of the backscattering of Dirac fermions at conducting surfaces of topological insulators.

5 pages

References in corpus (7)

• Nuclear spin physics in quantum dots: an optical investigation
• Non-diffusive spin dynamics in a two-dimensional electron gas
• Cyclotron Resonance Assisted Photocurrents in Surface States of a 3D Topological Insulator Based on a Strained High Mobility HgTe Film
• Transport in two-dimensional modulation doped semiconductor structures
• Hyperfine coupling and spin polarization in the bulk of the topological insulator Bi${}_2$Se${}_3$
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• Nuclear magnetic resonances in (In,Ga)As/GaAs quantum dots studied by resonant optical pumping

Cited by in corpus (4)

• Optical properties of helical edge channels in zinc-blende-type topological insulators: Selection rules, circular and linear dichroism, circular and linear photocurrents
• Topological insulator ring with magnetic impurities
• Dynamic Nuclear Polarization from Topological Insulator Helical Edge States
• Hyperfine interaction in atomically thin transition metal dichalcogenides