Spin accumulation in lateral semiconductor superlattices induced by a constant electric field

The electric-field dependence of the spin accumulation in strongly coupled lateral superlattices subject to Rashba spin-orbit interaction is studied by the density-matrix approach. At low fields, the spin accumulation depends linearly on the electric field. In this field regime, the magnitude of the homogeneous magnetization is larger in the lateral superlattice than in the corresponding two-dimensional electron gas. The magnetization exhibits a maximum as a function of the electric field. In the region of Wannier-Stark localization, the field-induced magnetization decreases with increasing electric field strength. Field-mediated resonant-tunneling transitions between different spin states manifest themselves in a spin depolarization.