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The dynamics of a single spin embedded in a tunnelling junction is studied. Within a nonequilibrium Keldysh Green's function technique, we derive a quantum Langevin equation describing the spin dynamics. In the high temperature limit, it reduces to a Bloch equation, for which the spin relaxation rate, as determined by the temporal fluctuation, is linearly proportional to the temperature. In the opposite limit, the relaxation rate depends on the applied voltage, in contrast to the case of a spin in an equilibrium environment. We also show that spin–flip transition processes during electron tunnelling convert the applied electric field (i.e. voltage bias) into an effective magnetic field. Consequently, the dynamics of the spin, otherwise precessing along the static magnetic field, will have either a frequency shift proportional to the dc bias or a magnetic resonance driven indirectly by an ac electric field at the Larmor frequency ωL. An experiment to measure this effect is also proposed.

The discovery of a novel effect in the transport through a QD spin-dependently coupled to magnetic contacts is reported. For a finite range of source-drain voltages the spin projections of the current cancel exactly, resulting in a completely suppressed output current. The spin down current behaves as one normally expects whereas the spin up current becomes negative. As the source-drain voltage is increased the spin up current eventually becomes positive. Thus, tuning the source-drain voltage such that the spin up current vanishes will result in a perfect spin filter.

An explanation for the recently observed asymmetric negative differential conductance (NDC) in a double-quantum-dot system attached to metallic external contacts is proposed. The NDC was observed only for one half of the bias voltage range (-V, V). The theory, which is based on a diagrammatic technique for non-equilibrium many-body operator Green functions, suggests that scattering between the states in the double quantum dot suppresses the total current dynamically as the bias voltage is increased. The effect is present in systems where the double-quantum-dot states are asymmetrically coupled to the left- and right-hand contacts, and we predict that a symmetric coupling will suppress the negative differential conductance completely.