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  • Letter
  • Open Access

Quantum interference tuning of spin-orbit coupling in twisted van der Waals trilayers

Csaba G. Péterfalvi1,*, Alessandro David2, Péter Rakyta3,4, Guido Burkard1,†, and Andor Kormányos3,‡

  • 1Department of Physics, University of Konstanz, D-78464 Konstanz, Germany
  • 2Peter Grünberg Institute - Quantum Control (PGI-8), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
  • 3Department of Physics of Complex Systems, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
  • 4Quantum Information National Laboratory, Hungary

  • *csaba.peterfalvi@uni-konstanz.de
  • †guido.burkard@uni-konstanz.de
  • ‡andor.kormanyos@ttk.elte.hu
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Phys. Rev. Research 4, L022049 – Published 31 May, 2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.4.L022049

Abstract

We show that in van der Waals stacks of twisted hexagonal layers the proximity induced Rashba spin-orbit coupling can be affected by quantum interference. We calculate the quantum phase responsible for this effect in graphene–transition metal dichalcogenide bilayers as a function of interlayer twist angle. We show how this quantum phase affects the spin polarization of the graphene bands and discuss its potential effect on spin-to-charge conversion measurements. In twisted trilayers symmetries can be broken as well as restored for certain twist angles. This can be used to deduce the effects of induced spin-orbit coupling on spin-lifetime anisotropy and magnetoconductance measurements.

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Phys. Rev. Research 4, L022049– Published 31 May, 2022
  • Received 4 November 2021
  • Revised 2 March 2022
  • Accepted 9 March 2022
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