Spins in few-electron quantum dots

Abstract

This review describes the physics of spins in quantum dots containing one or\ntwo electrons, from an experimentalist's viewpoint. Various methods for\nextracting spin properties from experiment are presented, restricted\nexclusively to electrical measurements. Furthermore, experimental techniques\nare discussed that allow for: (1) the rotation of an electron spin into a\nsuperposition of up and down, (2) the measurement of the quantum state of an\nindividual spin and (3) the control of the interaction between two neighbouring\nspins by the Heisenberg exchange interaction. Finally, the physics of the\nrelevant relaxation and dephasing mechanisms is reviewed and experimental\nresults are compared with theories for spin-orbit and hyperfine interactions.\nAll these subjects are directly relevant for the fields of quantum information\nprocessing and spintronics with single spins (i.e. single-spintronics).\n