Hyperfine-mediated transitions between a Zeeman split doublet in GaAs quantum dots: The role of the internal field

Abstract

We consider the hyperfine-mediated transition rate between Zeeman split states of the lowest orbital level in a GaAs quantum dot. We separate the hyperfine Hamiltonian into a part which is diagonal in the orbital states and another one which mixes different orbitals. The diagonal part gives rise to an effective (internal) magnetic field which, in addition to an external magnetic field, determines the Zeeman splitting. Spin-flip transitions in the dots are induced by the orbital-mixing part accompanied by an emission of a phonon. We evaluate the rate for different regimes of applied magnetic field and temperature. The rates we find are bigger than the spin-orbit-related rates provided the external magnetic field is sufficiently low.