Zitterbewegung of electronic wave packets in semiconductor nanostructures
arXiv:cond-mat/0410321 · doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.94.206801
Abstract
We study the zitterbewegung of electronic wave packets in III-V zinc-blende semiconductor quantum wells due to spin-orbit coupling. Our results suggest a direct experimental proof of this fundamental effect, confirming a long-standing theoretical prediction. For electron motion in a harmonic quantum wire, we numerically and analytically find a resonance condition maximizing the zitterbewegung.
5 pages, 2 figures included, a few remarks added, to appear in Phys. Rev. Lett