Work

Intrinsic spin currents in ferromagnets

Year: 2019

Type: article

Abstract: First-principles calculations show that electric fields applied to ferromagnets generate spin currents flowing perpendicularly to the electric field. Reduced symmetry in these ferromagnets enables a wide variety of such spin currents. However, the total spin current is approximately the sum of a magnetization-independent spin Hall current and an anisotropic spin anomalous Hall current. Intrinsic spin currents are not subject to dephasing, enabling their spin polarizations to be misaligned with the magnetization and allowing for the magnetization-independent spin Hall effect. The spin Hall conductivity and spin anomalous Hall conductivities of transition-metal ferromagnets are comparable to those found in heavy metals, opening different avenues for efficient spin current generation in spintronic devices.

Source: Physical review. B./Physical review. B

DOI: 10.1103/physrevb.99.220405

Authors: V. P. Amin, Junwen Li, M. D. Stiles, P. M. Haney

Institutions: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Physical Measurement Laboratory, University of Maryland, College Park, Joint Institute for Computational Sciences, University of Tennessee at Knoxville

Language: English

Topic: Magnetic properties of thin films

Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: University of Maryland, National Institute of Standards and Technology

Award: G1651243489