Marcin Kurpas
Institute of Physics, University of Silesia in Katowice, ul Pułku Piechoty 1, 41-500 Chorzów, Poland

Two-dimensional (2D) Van der Waals heterostructures have been extensively studied over the last decade. The ease of modifying their electronic properties by proximity effects makes those systems ideal candidates for replacing silicon in next-generation electronics, optoelectronics, and spintronics.
At the heart of the proximity effect is the interface between components of a heterostructure. In 2D heterostructures, the crystal potential across the interface is rather smooth and uniform in the plane of the heterostructure. When one of the constituents is replaced by a one-dimensional system, for instance, a nanotube or a nanowire, the variation of the interface crystal potential should be more dramatic due to finite-size effects. This may affect the spin-orbit coupling being directly connected to the crystal potential.
In this talk, I will discuss spin-orbit proximity effects in hybrid 1D/2D heterostructures made of a carbon nanotube and a 2D material. Based on first-principles calculations, I will show that the interface potential strongly impacts the induced spin-orbit coupling in the nanotube. As a result, the Dirac cone bands are modulated in a similar way as in the presence of coexisting external electric and magnetic fields, whose amplitudes depend on the position of the nanotube on the substrate.
Our results show that hybrid 1D/2D heterostructures are a promising platform for studying spin-orbit coupling in low dimensions.

host: Martin Gmitra