Determination of the Rashba and Dresselhaus coupling constants using the conductance of a ballistic nanowire

We study the conductance steps of a ballistic nanowire in the presence of a harmonic potential, an in-plane magnetic field, and spin–orbit interactions induced by Rashba and Dresselhaus effects. Calculations of the conductance, at low temperature, using the Landauer–Büttiker formalism, reveal different patterns of steps that are strongly dependent on the magnetic field. Such dependence provides a powerful tool for determining the strengths of the spin–orbit interaction independently, especially in nanowires with low carrier density.