No Arabic abstract
The spin-selective transport through helical molecules has been a hot topic in condensed matter physics, because it develops a new research direction in spintronics, emph{i.e.}, chiro-spintronics. Double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) molecules have been considered as promising candidates to study this topic, since the chiral-induced spin selectivity (CISS) effect in dsDNA was observed in experiment. Considering that the dsDNA molecules are usually flexible in mechanical properties, vibration may be one of important factors to influence the CISS effect. Here, we investigate the influences of electron-vibration interaction (EVI) on the spin-selective transport in dsDNA molecules. We uncover that the EVI not only enhances the CISS effect and the spin polarization ($P_s$) in dsDNA, but also induces a series of new spin-splitting transmission modes. More interesting, these vibration-induced transmission spectra tend to host the same $P_s$ values as those of the original spin-splitting transmission modes, making the $P_s$ spectra to display as a continuous platform even in the energy gap. Our work not only provides us a deep understanding into the influence of vibrations on the CISS effect in helical molecules, {but also puts forwards a feasible route to detect the vibration-induced spin-polarized transport in low-dimensional molecular systems
Highly spin selective transport of electrons through a helically shaped electrostatic potential is demonstrated in the frame of a minimal model approach. The effect is significant even in the case of weak spin-orbit coupling. Two main factors determine the selectivity, an unconventional Rashba- like spin-orbit interaction, reflecting the helical symmetry of the system, and a weakly dispersive electronic band of the helical system. The weak electronic coupling, associated with the small dispersion, leads to a low mobility of the charges in the system and allows even weak spin-orbit interactions to be effective. The results are expected to be generic for chiral molecular systems displaying low spin-orbit coupling and low conductivity.
Electron spin transport and dynamics are investigated in a single, high-mobility, modulation-doped, GaAs quantum well using ultrafast two-color Kerr-rotation micro-spectroscopy, supported by qualitative kinetic theory simulations of spin diffusion and transport. Evolution of the spins is governed by the Dresselhaus bulk and Rashba structural inversion asymmetries, which manifest as an effective magnetic field that can be extracted directly from the experimental coherent spin precession. A spin precession length L-SOI is defined as one complete precession in the effective magnetic field. It is observed that application of (a) an out-of-plane electric field changes the spin decay time and L-SOI through the Rashba component of the spin-orbit coupling, (b) an in-plane magnetic field allows for extraction of the Dresselhaus and Rashba parameters, and (c) an in-plane electric field markedly modifies both the L-SOI and diffusion coefficient. While simulations reproduce the main features of the experiments, the latter results exceed the corresponding simulations and extend previous studies of drift-current-dependent spin-orbit interactions.
The chirality-induced spin selectivity (CISS), demonstrated in diverse chiral molecules by numerous experimental and theoretical groups, has been attracting extensive and ongoing interest in recent years. As the secondary structure of DNA, the charge transfer along DNA hairpins has been widely studied for more than two decades, finding that DNA hairpins exhibit spin-related effects as reported in recent experiments. Here, we propose a setup to demonstrate directly the CISS effect in DNA hairpins contacted by two nonmagnetic leads at both ends of the stem. Our results indicate that DNA hairpins present pronounced CISS effect and the spin polarization could be enhanced by using conducting molecules as the loop. In particular, DNA hairpins show several intriguing features, which are different from other chiral molecules. First, the local spin currents can flow circularly and assemble into a number of vortex clusters when the electron energy locates in the left/right electronic band of the stem. The chirality of vortex clusters in each band is the same and will be reversed by switching the electron energy from the left band to the right one, inducing the sign reversal of the spin polarization. Interestingly, the local spin currents can be greater than the corresponding spin component of the source-drain current. Second, both the conductance and the spin polarization can increase with molecular length as well as dephasing strength, contrary to the physical intuition that the transmission ability of molecular wires should be poorer when suffering from stronger scattering. Third, we unveil the optimal contact configuration of efficient electron transport and that of the CISS effect, which are distinct from each other and can be controlled by dephasing strength. The underlying physical mechanism is illustrated.
We report a theoretical study of DNA flexibility and quantitatively predict the ring closure probability as a function of DNA contour length. Recent experimental studies show that the flexibility of short DNA fragments (as compared to the persistence length of DNA l_P~150 base pairs) cannot be described by the traditional worm-like chain (WLC) model, e.g., the observed ring closure probability is much higher than predicted. To explain these observations, DNA flexibility is investigated with explicit considerations of a new length scale l_D~10 base pairs, over which DNA local bend angles are correlated. In this correlated worm-like chain (C-WLC) model, a finite length correction term is analytically derived and the persistence length is found to be contour length dependent. While our model reduces to the traditional worm-like chain model when treating long DNA at length scales much larger than l_P, it predicts that DNA becomes much more flexible at shorter sizes, which helps explain recent cyclization measurements of short DNA fragments around 100 base pairs.
Chirality plays a major role in nature, from particle physics to DNA, and its control is much sought-after due to the scientific and technological opportunities it unlocks. For magnetic materials, chiral interactions between spins promote the formation of sophisticated swirling magnetic states such as skyrmions, with rich topological properties and great potential for future technologies. Currently, chiral magnetism requires either a restricted group of natural materials or synthetic thin-film systems that exploit interfacial effects. Here, using state-of-the-art nanofabrication and magnetic X-ray microscopy, we demonstrate the imprinting of complex chiral spin states via three-dimensional geometric effects at the nanoscale. By balancing dipolar and exchange interactions in an artificial ferromagnetic double-helix nanostructure, we create magnetic domains and domain walls with a well-defined spin chirality, determined solely by the chiral geometry. We further demonstrate the ability to create confined 3D spin textures and topological defects by locally interfacing geometries of opposite chirality. The ability to create chiral spin textures via 3D nano-patterning alone enables exquisite control over the properties and location of complex topological magnetic states, of great importance for the development of future metamaterials and devices in which chirality provides enhanced functionality.