Field Dependence of the Electron Spin Relaxation in Quantum Dots

Interaction of the electron spin with local elastic twists due to transverse phonons has been studied. Universal dependence of the spin relaxation rate on the strength and direction of the magnetic field has been obtained in terms of the electron gyromagnetic tensor and macroscopic elastic constants of the solid. The theory contains no unknown parameters and it can be easily tested in experiment. At high magnetic field it provides parameter-free lower bound on the electron spin relaxation in quantum dots.