Spin polarization

About: Spin polarization is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 27786 publications have been published within this topic receiving 747215 citations.

Observation of the spin Seebeck effect

Abstract: The generation of electric voltage by placing a conductor in a temperature gradient is called the Seebeck effect. Its efficiency is represented by the Seebeck coefficient, S, which is defined as the ratio of the generated electric voltage to the temperature difference, and is determined by the scattering rate and the density of the conduction electrons. The effect can be exploited, for example, in thermal electric-power generators and for temperature sensing, by connecting two conductors with different Seebeck coefficients, a device called a thermocouple. Here we report the observation of the thermal generation of driving power, or voltage, for electron spin: the spin Seebeck effect. Using a recently developed spin-detection technique that involves the spin Hall effect, we measure the spin voltage generated from a temperature gradient in a metallic magnet. This thermally induced spin voltage persists even at distances far from the sample ends, and spins can be extracted from every position on the magnet simply by attaching a metal. The spin Seebeck effect observed here is directly applicable to the production of spin-voltage generators, which are crucial for driving spintronic devices. The spin Seebeck effect allows us to pass a pure spin current, a flow of electron spins without electric currents, over a long distance. These innovative capabilities will invigorate spintronics research.

Thermal and Optical Switching of Iron(II) Complexes

Abstract: Transition metal chemistry contains a class of complex compounds for which the spin state of the central atom changes from high spin to low spin when the temperature is lowered. This is accompanied by changes of the magnetic and optical properties that make the thermally induced spin transition (also called spin crossover) easy to follow. The phenomenon is found in the solid state as well as in solution. Amongst this class, iron(II) spin crossover compounds are distinguished for their great variety of spin transition behavior; it can be anything from gradual to abrupt, stepwise, or with hysteresis effects. Many examples have been thoroughly studied by Mossbauer and optical spectroscopy, measurements of the magnetic susceptibilities and the heat capacities, as well as crystal structure analysis. Cooperative interactions between the complex molecules can be satisfactorily explained from changes in the elastic properties during the spin transition, that is, from changes in molecular structure and volume. Our investigations of iron(II) spin crossover compounds have shown that green light will switch the low spin state to the high spin state, which then can have a virtually unlimited lifetime at low temperatures (this phenomenom is termed light-induced excited spin state trapping - acronym: LIESST). Red light will switch the metastable high spin state back to the low spin state. We have elucidated the mechanism of the LIESST effect and studied the deactivation kinetics in detail. It is now well understood within the theoretical context of radiationless transitions. Applications of the LIESST effect in optical information technology can be envisaged.

Electron Spin Resonance

Abstract: So far we have confined our attention to nuclear magnetic resonance, although many of the basic principles apply to electron spin resonance. We have also considered questions concerning the electrons, such as the quenching of orbital angular momentum and the magnetic coupling of the nuclear spin to that of the electron. In this chapter we shall add a few more concepts that are important to the study of electron spin resonance1 but which are not encountered in the study of nuclear resonance.

A technique for relativistic spin-polarised calculations

Abstract: A technique for reduction of the Dirac equation, which initially omits the spin-orbit interaction (thus keeping spin as a good quantum number), but retains all other relativistic kinematic effects such as mass-velocity, Darwin, and higher order terms is presented. The spin-orbit interaction can be included as a perturbation once the 'relativistic' spin-polarised bands and wavefunctions have been obtained. The technique is used together with the local spin density approximation for exchange and correlation to calculate the self-consistent charge and spin density of a neutral Gd atom. The calculated magnetic form factor agrees extremely well with experiment. Comparison with a paramagnetic RAPW calculation shows the procedure should be accurate and fast for general band structure determinations.

Injection and detection of a spin-polarized current in a light-emitting diode

Abstract: The field of magnetoelectronics has been growing in practical importance in recent years1 For example, devices that harness electronic spin—such as giant-magnetoresistive sensors and magnetoresistive memory cells—are now appearing on the market2 In contrast, magnetoelectronic devices based on spin-polarized transport in semiconductors are at a much earlier stage of development, largely because of the lack of an efficient means of injecting spin-polarized charge Much work has focused on the use of ferromagnetic metallic contacts3,4, but it has proved exceedingly difficult to demonstrate polarized spin injection More recently, two groups5,6 have reported successful spin injection from an NiFe contact, but the observed effects of the spin-polarized transport were quite small (resistance changes of less than 1%) Here we describe a different approach, in which the magnetic semiconductor BexMnyZn1-x-ySe is used as a spin aligner We achieve injection efficiencies of 90% spin-polarized current into a non-magnetic semiconductor device The device used in this case is a GaAs/AlGaAs light-emitting diode, and spin polarization is confirmed by the circular polarization state of the emitted light