Spin relaxation in a GaAs quantum dot embedded inside a suspended phonon cavity

Abstract

The phonon-induced spin relaxation in a two-dimensional quantum dot embedded inside a semiconductor slab is investigated theoretically. An enhanced relaxation rate is found due to the phonon van Hove singularities. Oppositely, a vanishing deformation potential may also result in a suppression of the spin relaxation rate. For larger quantum dots, the interplay between the spin orbit interaction and Zeeman levels causes the suppression of the relaxation at several points. Furthermore, a crossover from confined to bulk-like systems is obtained by varying the width of the slab.