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Peer-reviewedCC BYScience Advances

Dynamic self-polarization of the nuclear spins in a GaAs quantum well

  • Mladen Kotur1
  • Dennis Kudlacik1
  • Nataliia E. Kopteva1
  • Erik Kirstein1
  • Dmitri R. Yakovlev1
  • Kirill V. Kavokin2
  • Manfred Bayer1,3
  1. 1Experimentelle Physik 2, Technische Universität Dortmund, 44227 Dortmund, Germany.
  2. 2Spin Optics Laboratory, St. Petersburg State University, 198504 St. Petersburg, Russia.
  3. 3Research Center FEMS, Technische Universität Dortmund, 44227 Dortmund, Germany.
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Abstract

We demonstrate the self-polarization regime of nuclear spins, originally predicted in 1972 by Dyakonov and Perel and achieved here by lattice temperature reduction into the millikelvin range. We first identify a gallium arsenide-based quantum well structure as highly suited by demonstrating a high nuclear spin polarization, corresponding to an Overhauser field of 3.1 tesla, using optical spin pumping at 1.6-kelvin lattice temperature. Here, adiabatic demagnetization leads to a nuclear spin temperature of 6.4 microkelvins, detected by time-resolved Kerr rotation. By measuring polarized photoluminescence and entering the lattice temperature regime below 500 millikelvins, a sharp zero-field feature in the Hanle electron spin depolarization curve evidences the dynamic nuclear self-polarization under unpolarized optical excitation. The self-polarization results in ultralow nuclear spin temperatures, which we estimate to become as low as 200 nanokelvins.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{kotur2026dynamic,
  title = {{Dynamic self-polarization of the nuclear spins in a GaAs quantum well}},
  author = {Mladen Kotur and Dennis Kudlacik and Nataliia E. Kopteva and Erik Kirstein and Dmitri R. Yakovlev and Kirill V. Kavokin and Manfred Bayer},
  journal = {Science Advances},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.1126/sciadv.aeh7568},
  url = {https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aeh7568},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Dynamic self-polarization of the nuclear spins in a GaAs quantum well
AU  - Mladen Kotur
AU  - Dennis Kudlacik
AU  - Nataliia E. Kopteva
AU  - Erik Kirstein
AU  - Dmitri R. Yakovlev
AU  - Kirill V. Kavokin
AU  - Manfred Bayer
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/09
JO  - Science Advances
DO  - 10.1126/sciadv.aeh7568
UR  - https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aeh7568
AB  - We demonstrate the self-polarization regime of nuclear spins, originally predicted in 1972 by Dyakonov and Perel and achieved here by lattice temperature reduction into the millikelvin range. We first identify a gallium arsenide-based quantum well structure as highly suited by demonstrating a high nuclear spin polarization, corresponding to an Overhauser field of 3.1 tesla, using optical spin pumping at 1.6-kelvin lattice temperature. Here, adiabatic demagnetization leads to a nuclear spin temperature of 6.4 microkelvins, detected by time-resolved Kerr rotation. By measuring polarized photoluminescence and entering the lattice temperature regime below 500 millikelvins, a sharp zero-field feature in the Hanle electron spin depolarization curve evidences the dynamic nuclear self-polarization under unpolarized optical excitation. The self-polarization results in ultralow nuclear spin temperatures, which we estimate to become as low as 200 nanokelvins.
SN  - 2375-2548
ER  -