A correct general formula for the spin current through an interacting quantum dot coupled to ferromagnetic leads with magnetization at an arbitrary angle $theta$ is derived within the framework of the Keldysh formalism. Under asymmetric conditions, the spin current component J_{z} may change sign for $0<theta<pi$. It is shown that the spin current and spin tunneling magnetoresistance exhibit different angle dependence in the free and Coulomb blockade regimes. In the latter case, the competition of spin precession and the spin-valve effect could lead to an anomaly in the angle dependence of the spin current.
Spin-polarized transport through a quantum dot strongly coupled to ferromagnetic electrodes with non-collinear magnetic moments is analyzed theoretically in terms of the non-equilibrium Green function formalism. Electrons in the dot are assumed to be coupled to a phonon bath. The influence of electron-phonon coupling on tunnelling current, linear and nonlinear conductance, and on tunnel magnetoresistance is studied in detail. Variation of the main Kondo peaks and phonon satellites with the angle between magnetic moments of the leads is analyzed.
We have fabricated a lateral double barrier magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) which consists of a single self-assembled InAs quantum dot (QD) with ferromagnetic Co leads. The MTJ shows clear hysteretic tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) effect, which is evidence for spin transport through a single semiconductor QD. The TMR ratio and the curve shapes are varied by changing the gate voltage.
We study transport through a quantum dot side-coupled to two parallel Luttinger liquid leads in the presence of a Coulombic dot-lead interaction. This geometry enables an exact treatment of the inter-lead Coulomb interactions. We find that for dots symmetrically disposed between the two leads the correlation of charge fluctuations between the two leads can lead to an enhancement of the current at the Coulomb-blockade edge and even to a negative differential conductance. Moving the dot off center or separating the wires further converts the enhancement to a suppression.
Dynamical processes induced by the external time-dependent fields can provide valuable insight into the characteristic energy scales of a given physical system. We investigate them here in a nanoscopic heterostructure, consisting of the double quantum dot coupled in series to the superconducting and the metallic reservoirs, analyzing its response to (i)~abrupt bias voltage applied across the junction, (ii) sudden change of the energy levels, and imposed by (iii)~their periodic driving. We explore subgap properties of this setup which are strictly related to the in-gap quasiparticles and discuss their signatures manifested in the time-dependent charge currents. The characteristic multi-mode oscillations, their beating patters and photon-assisted harmonics reveal a rich spectrum of dynamical features that might be important for designing the superconducting qubits.
We consider a quantum dot coupled to both superconducting and spin-polarized electrodes, and study the triad interplay of the Kondo effect, superconductivity, and ferromagnetism, any pair of which compete with and suppress each other. We find that the interplay leads to a mixed-valence quantum phase transition, which for other typical sysmstems is merely a crossover rather than a true transition. At the transition, the system changes from the spin doublet to singlet state. The singlet phase is adiabatically connected (through crossovers) to the so-called charge Kondo state and to the superconducting state. We analyze in detail the physical characteristics of different states and propose that the measurement of the cross-current correlation and the charge relaxation resistance can clearly distinguish between them.