Eur. Phys. J. B 29, 141-145 (2002)
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2002-00272-0

Spin configuration transformation in laterally coupled few-electron artificial molecules

¹ Institute of Solid State Physics, Chinese Academy of Science, PO Box 1129, Hefei, 230031, PR China
² CCAST(World Laboratory), PO Box 8730, Beijing 100080, PR China Institute of Opto-Electronic Information Technology, YanTai University, 264005, PR China

Corresponding author: ^a zhdai@ytu.edu.cn

Received: 8 March 2002
Revised: 29 May 2002
Published online: 17 September 2002

Abstract

Artificial molecules, namely laterally coupled quantum dots with a three-dimensional spherical confinement potential well of radius R and depth , were studied by the unrestricted Hartree-Fock-Roothaan (UHFR) method. By varying the distance d between the centers of the two coupled quantum dots, the transition from the strong coupling situation to the weak one is realized. Hund's rule, suitable for a single quantum dot is destroyed in certain conditions in the artificial molecule. For example, in the few-electron system of the strongly coupled quantum-dot molecule, a transformation of spin configuration has been found.