Spin splitting in open quantum dots

We present results from a theoretical and experimental study of spin-splitting in small open lateral quantum dots (i.e. in the regime when the dot is connected to the reservoirs via leads that support one or more propagating modes). We demonstrate that the magnetoconductance shows a pronounced splitting of the conductance peaks (or dips) which persists over a wide range of magnetic fields (from zero field to the edge-state regime) and is virtually independent of magnetic field. A numerical analysis of the conductance and the dot eigenspectrum indicates that this feature is related to a lifting of the spin degeneracy in the corresponding closed dot associated with the interaction between electrons of opposite spin.