Spin transitions induced by a magnetic field in quantum dot molecules

Abstract

We present a theoretical study of magnetic field driven spin transitions of electrons in coupled lateral quantum dot molecules. A detailed numerical study of spin phases of artificial molecules composed of two laterally coupled quantum dots with N=8 electrons is presented as a function of magnetic field, Zeeman energy, and the detuning using real space Hartree-Fock Configuration Interaction (HF-CI) technique. A microscopic picture of quantum Hall ferromagnetic phases corresponding to zero and full spin polarization at filling factors $\nu=2$ and $\nu=1$, and ferrimagnetic phases resulting from coupling of the two dots, is presented.