Probing spin-polarized currents in the quantum Hall regime

Abstract

An experiment to probe spin-polarized currents in the quantum Hall regime is suggested that takes advantage of the large Zeeman-splitting in the paramagnetic diluted magnetic semiconductor zinc manganese selenide (Zn1−xMnxSe). In the proposed experiment spin-polarized electrons are injected by ZnMnSe-contacts into a gallium arsenide (GaAs) two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) arranged in a Hall bar geometry. We calculated the resulting Hall resistance for this experimental setup within the framework of the Landauer–Büttiker formalism. These calculations predict for 100% spin injection through the ZnMnSe-contacts a Hall resistance twice as high as in the case of no spin-polarized injection of charge carriers into a 2DEG for filling factor ν=2.We also investigated the influence of the equilibration of the spin-polarized electrons within the 2DEG on the Hall resistance. In addition, in our model we expect no coupling between the contact and the 2DEG for odd filling factors of the 2DEG for 100% spin injection, because of the opposite sign of the g-factors of ZnMnSe and GaAs.