Magnetic field effects in biased semiconductor heterostructures with Rashba spin-orbit interaction

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Abstract
The impact of a weak magnetic field on spin transport and spin relaxation properties of systems with Rashba spin-orbit interaction is investigated in the diffusion approximation. To this end diffusion equations, which take into account an electric and a magnetic field, have been derived. They are applied to the investigation of spin relaxation phenomena and to the spin accumulation in the presence of an external field. Our investigations show that also a weak magnetic field affects the spin transport and spin relaxation properties. In the absence of the electric field it manifests itself in a spin precession, which is induced by the orbital motion. In the presence of the electric field it affects the electric field induced rotation of the magnetization and the spin accumulation.