Proximity spin-orbit coupling in an armchair carbon nanotube on monolayer bismuthene

Abstract

We study spin-orbit proximity effects in a hybrid heterostructure build of a one-dimensional (1D) armchair carbon nanotube and two-dimensional (2D) buckled monolayer bismuthene. We show, by performing first-principles calculations, that Dirac electrons in the nanotube exhibit large spin-orbit coupling due to a close vicinity of bismuthene. The calculated low-energy band structures of the proximized nanotube display a strong dependence on the position of the nanotube on the substrate, similar to twist-angle dependence found in 2D heterostructures. Based on the first-principles results, we formulate an effective low-energy Hamiltonian of the nanotube and identify key interactions governing the proximity spin-orbit coupling. The proximity-induced spin splitting of Dirac cone bands is in meV range, confirming an efficient transfer of spin-orbit coupling from bismuthene to the nanotube.