Spin relaxation of conduction electrons in polyvalent metals: A realistic calculation
Condensed Matter
2009-10-31 v1
Abstract
Relaxation of electronic spins in metals is significantly enhanced whenever a Fermi surface crosses Brillouin zone boundaries, special symmetry points, or lines of accidental degeneracy. A realistic calculation shows that if aluminum had one valence electron, its spin relaxation would be slower by nearly two orders of magnitude. This not only solves a longstanding experimental puzzle, but also provides a way of tailoring spin dynamics of electrons in a conduction band.
Cite
@article{arxiv.cond-mat/9810375,
title = {Spin relaxation of conduction electrons in polyvalent metals: A realistic calculation},
author = {J. Fabian and S. Das Sarma},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:cond-mat/9810375},
year = {2009}
}
Comments
12 pages, 3 figures; to appear in PRL