Spin-polarized pumping in a double quantum dot

We study the pumping of spin-polarized electrons in a double quantum dot system with up to two electrons per dot, via an applied AC field and a constant magnetic field. The behaviour of the current through the double-dot system is studied as a function of the AC field and coupling to the leads, using a Markov master equation approach for the time evolution of the reduced density matrix. For up to two electrons in the system, we find that the formation of a spin-triplet state blocks the current through the device, and analyse possible solutions. When we incorporate three-and four-particle states, with up to two opposite spin electrons per dot, we find a regime where the pumping of spin-polarized electrons is realized through double occupancy states in each dot. This property is robust against spin-relaxation and decoherence processes which are taken into account phenomenologically. Finally we study the effects of applying a pulsed AC field and the possibility of the resolution of Rabi oscillations.