The demonstration of quantized spin splitting by Stern and Gerlach is one of the most important experiments in modern physics. Their discovery was the precursor of recent developments in spin-based technologies. Although electrical spin separation of charged particles is fundamental in spintronics, in non-uniform magnetic fields it has been difficult to separate the spin states of charged particles due to the Lorentz force, as well as to the insufficient and uncontrollable field gradients. Here we demonstrate electronic spin separation in a semiconductor nanostructure. To avoid the Lorentz force, which is inevitably induced when an external magnetic field is applied, we utilized the effective non-uniform magnetic field which originates from the Rashba spin–orbit interaction in an InGaAs-based heterostructure. Using a Stern–Gerlach-inspired mechanism, together with a quantum point contact, we obtained field gradients of 108 T m−1 resulting in a highly polarized spin current.
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机译：Stern和Gerlach对量化自旋分裂的论证是现代物理学中最重要的实验之一。他们的发现是自旋技术最新发展的先驱。尽管带电粒子的电自旋分离在自旋电子学中是基本的，但在不均匀磁场中，由于洛伦兹力以及不足且不可控制的场梯度，很难分离带电粒子的自旋态。在这里，我们展示了半导体纳米结构中的电子自旋分离。为了避免在施加外部磁场时不可避免地产生的洛伦兹力，我们利用了有效的非均匀磁场，该磁场来自基于InGaAs的异质结构中的Rashba自旋轨道相互作用。使用Stern–Gerlach启发的机制，再加上量子点接触，我们获得了10 8 T m -1 的场梯度，从而产生了一个高度极化的自旋电流。
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