Rashba, Emmanuel2016-01-112008Rashba, Emmanuel I. 2008. “Theory of Electric Dipole Spin Resonance in Quantum Dots: Mean Field Theory with Gaussian Fluctuations and Beyond.” Physical Review B 78 (19) (November 4). doi:10.1103/physrevb.78.195302.1098-0121http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:24082844Very recently, the electric dipole spin resonance (EDSR) of single electrons in quantum dots was discovered by three independent experimental groups. Remarkably, these observations revealed three different mechanisms of EDSR: coupling of electron spin to its momentum (spin-orbit), to the operator of its position (inhomogeneous Zeeman coupling), and to the hyperfine Overhauser field of nuclear spins. In this paper, I present a unified microscopic theory of these resonances in quantum dots. A mean field theory, derived for all three mechanisms and based on retaining only two-spin correlators, justifies applying macroscopic description of nuclear polarization to the EDSR theory. In the framework of the mean field theory, a fundamental difference in the time dependence of EDSR inherent of these mechanisms is revealed; it changes from the Rabi-type oscillations to a nearly monotonic growth. The theory provides a regular procedure to account for the higher nuclear-spin correlators that become of importance for a wider time span and can change the asymptotic behavior of EDSR. It also allows revealing the effect of electron spin dynamics on the effective coupling between nuclear spins.en-USJournal Article2015-12-30Emmanuel I. Rashba2016-01-1110.1103/PhysRevB.78.195302