English

Controlling spin in an electronic interferometer with spin-active interfaces

Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics 2007-05-23 v2

Abstract

We consider electronic current transport through a ballistic one-dimensional quantum wire connected to two ferromagnetic leads. We study the effects of the spin-dependence of interfacial phase shifts (SDIPS) acquired by electrons upon scattering at the boundaries of the wire. The SDIPS produces a spin splitting of the wire resonant energies which is tunable with the gate voltage and the angle between the ferromagnetic polarizations. This property could be used for manipulating spins. In particular, it leads to a giant magnetoresistance effect with a sign tunable with the gate voltage and the magnetic field applied to the wire.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.cond-mat/0512176,
  title  = {Controlling spin in an electronic interferometer with spin-active interfaces},
  author = {A. Cottet and T. Kontos and W. Belzig and C. Schonenberger and C. Bruder},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:cond-mat/0512176},
  year   = {2007}
}

Comments

5 pages, 3 figures. to be published in Europhysics Letters