| Issue |
Europhys. Lett.
Volume 69, Number 4, February 2005
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Page(s) | 595 - 601 | |
| Section | Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1209/epl/i2004-10395-x | |
| Published online | 21 January 2005 | |
How many electrons are needed to flip a local spin?
Theoretical Physics Institute and Department of Physics, University of Alberta Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G 2J1
Received:
9
November
2004
Accepted:
16
December
2004
Considering the spin of a local magnetic atom as a quantum-mechanical operator, we illustrate the dynamics of a local spin interacting with a ballistic electron represented by a wave packet. This approach improves the semi-classical approximation and provides a complete quantum-mechanical understanding for spin transfer phenomena. Sending spin-polarized electrons towards a local magnetic atom one after another, we estimate the minimum number of electrons needed to flip a local spin.
PACS: 72.25.-b – Spin polarized transport / 73.23.Ad – Ballistic transport / 73.63.-b – Electronic transport in nanoscale materials and structures
© EDP Sciences, 2005
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