Probe-assisted spin manipulation in one-dimensional quantum dots

We study a spin structure that arises in a one-dimensional quantum dot with zero total spin under the action of a charged tip of a scanning probe microscope in the presence of a weak magnetic field. The evolution of spin structure with changing the probe position is traced to show that the movable probe can be an effective tool to manipulate the spin. The spin structures are formed when the probe is located in certain regions along the dot due to Coulomb interaction of electrons as they are redistributed between the two sections in which the quantum dot is divided by the potential barrier created by the probe. There are two main states: spin-polarized and non-polarized ones. The transition between them is accompanied by a spin precession governed by the Rashba spin-orbit interaction induced by the electric field of the probe. In the transition region the spin density changes strongly while charge distribution remains nearly unchanged. (C) 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim