Spin-orbit interaction in InSb nanowires

Abstract

We use magnetoconductance measurements in dual-gated InSb nanowire devices, together with a theoretical analysis of weak antilocalization, to accurately extract spin-orbit strength. In particular, we show that magnetoconductance in our three-dimensional wires is very different compared to wires in two-dimensional electron gases. We obtain a large Rashba spin-orbit strength of $0.5--1\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}\text{eV}\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\text{\AA{}}$ corresponding to a spin-orbit energy of $0.25--1\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}\text{meV}$. These values underline the potential of InSb nanowires in the study of Majorana fermions in hybrid semiconductor-superconductor devices.