Engineered spin-state transitions of two interacting electrons in semiconductor nanowire quantum dots

Spin properties of two interacting electrons in a quantum dot (QD) embedded in a nanowire with controlled aspect ratio and longitudinal magnetic fields are investigated by using a configuration-interaction (CI) method. The developed CI theory based on a three-dimensional parabolic model provides explicit formulations of the Coulomb matrix elements and allows for straightforward and efficient numerical implementation. Our studies reveal fruitful features of spin-singlet-triplet transitions of two electrons confined in a nanowire QD, as a consequence of the competing effects of geometry-controlled kinetic-energy quantization, Coulomb interaction, and spin-Zeeman energy. The developed theory is further employed to study various spin states of two quantum-confined electrons in the regime of "crossover" dimensionality, from quasi-two-dimensional (disklike) QDs to finite one-dimensional (rodlike) QDs.