Spin relaxation in a two-electron quantum dot

We discuss the rate of relaxation of the total spin in a two-electron droplet in the vicinity of the magnetic-field-driven singlet-triplet transition. The total spin relaxation is attributed to spin-orbit and electron-phonon interactions. The relaxation process is found to depend on the spin of ground and excited states. This asymmetry is used to explain puzzles in recent high source-drain transport experiments. (C) 2003 MAIK Nauka/Interperiodica.