Probing the microscopic structure of bound states in quantum point contacts

Phys Rev Lett. 2007 Sep 28;99(13):136805. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.99.136805. Epub 2007 Sep 26.

Abstract

Using an approach that allows us to probe the electronic structure of strongly pinched-off quantum point contacts (QPCs), we provide evidence for the formation of self-consistently realized bound states (BSs) in these structures. Our approach exploits the resonant interaction between closely coupled QPCs, and demonstrates that the BSs may give rise to a robust confinement of single spins, which show clear Zeeman splitting in a magnetic field.