Gate-controlled anisotropy in Aharonov-Casher spin interference: Signatures of Dresselhaus spin-orbit inversion and spin phases

Abstract

The coexistence of Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit interactions (SOIs) in semiconductor quantum wells leads to an anisotropic effective field coupled to carriers' spins. We demonstrate a gate-controlled anisotropy in Aharonov-Casher (AC) spin interferometry experiments with InGaAs mesoscopic rings by using an in-plane magnetic field as a probe. Supported by a perturbation-theory approach, we find that the Rashba SOI strength controls the AC resistance anisotropy via spin dynamic and geometric phases and establish ways to manipulate them by employing electric and magnetic tunings. Moreover, assisted by two-dimensional numerical simulations, we identify a remarkable anisotropy inversion in our experiments attributed to a sign change in the renormalized linear Dresselhaus SOI controlled by electrical means, which would open the door to new possibilities for spin manipulation.