Acoustic charge and spin transport in GaAs quantum wires

Optical investigation of the transport of electrons and holes in GaAs quantum wires by surface acoustic waves shows that carriers can be efficiently transported over several tens of mm. Despite the efficient charge transport, the transport distances for photoexcited spins were found to be very short. These short spin transport lengths indicate that spin dephasing is not limited by spin motion (the DP mechanism) but rather by spin relaxation during momentum scattering. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)