Current induced Spin Torque in a nanomagnet

In a nanomagnet (whose total spin S< 1000), very small polarized currents can lead to magnetic reversal. Treating on the same footing the transport and magnetic properties of a nanomagnet connected to magnetic leads via tunneling barriers, we derive a closed equation for the time evolution of the magnetization. The interplay between Coulomb blockade phenomena and magnetism gives some additional structure to the current induced spin torque. In addition to the possibility of stabilizing uniform spin waves, we find that the system is highly hysteretic: up to three different magnetic states can be simultaneously stable in one region of the parameter (magnetic field and bias voltage) space.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures to appear in Phys. Rev. Let

Fano resonances as a probe of phase coherence in quantum dots

In the presence of direct trajectories connecting source and drain contacts, the conductance of a quantum dot may exhibit resonances of the Fano type. Since Fano resonances result from the interference of two transmission pathways, their lineshape (as described by the Fano parameter q) is sensitive to dephasing in the quantum dot. We show that under certain circumstances the dephasing time can be extracted from a measurement of q for a single resonance. We also show that q fluctuates from level to level, and calculate its probability distribution for a chaotic quantum dot. Our results are relevant to recent experiments by Goeres et al.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures; published versio

Magnetic Insulator-Induced Proximity Effects in Graphene: Spin Filtering and Exchange Splitting Gaps

We report on first-principles calculations of spin-dependent properties in graphene induced by its interaction with a nearby magnetic insulator (Europium oxide, EuO). The magnetic proximity effect results in spin polarization of graphene $\pi$ orbitals by up to 24 %, together with large exchange splitting bandgap of about 36 meV. The position of the Dirac cone is further shown to depend strongly on the graphene-EuO interlayer. These findings point towards the possible engineering of spin gating by proximity effect at relatively high temperature, which stands as a hallmark for future all-spin information processing technologies.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

The self-consistent quantum-electrostatic problem in strongly non-linear regime

The self-consistent quantum-electrostatic (also known as Poisson-Schr\"odinger) problem is notoriously difficult in situations where the density of states varies rapidly with energy. At low temperatures, these fluctuations make the problem highly non-linear which renders iterative schemes deeply unstable. We present a stable algorithm that provides a solution to this problem with controlled accuracy. The technique is intrinsically convergent including in highly non-linear regimes. We illustrate our approach with (i) a calculation of the compressible and incompressible stripes in the integer quantum Hall regime and (ii) a calculation of the differential conductance of a quantum point contact geometry. Our technique provides a viable route for the predictive modeling of the transport properties of quantum nanoelectronics devices.Comment: 28 pages. 14 figures. Added solution to a potential failure mode of the algorith

Current induced distortion of a magnetic domain wall

We consider the spin torque induced by a current flowing ballistically through a magnetic domain wall. In addition to a global pressure in the direction of the electronic flow, the torque has an internal structure of comparable magnitude due to the precession of the electrons' spins at the "Larmor" frequency. As a result, the profile of the domain wall is expected to get distorted by the current and acquires a periodic sur-structure.Comment: 5 pages, 3 eps figure

Spin-transfer torque in magnetic multilayer nanopillars

We consider a quasi one-dimensional configuration consisting of two small pieces of ferromagnetic material separated by a metallic one and contacted by two metallic leads. A spin-polarized current is injected from one lead. Our goal is to investigate the correlation induced between the magnetizations of the two ferromagnets by spin-transfer torque. This torque results from the interaction between the magnetizations and the spin polarization of the current. We discuss the dynamics of a single ferromagnet, the extension to the case of two ferromagnets, and give some estimates for the parameters based on experiments.Comment: To appear in the Journal of Physics: Conference Series (Proceedings of the International Conference on Nanoscience and Technology, Basel, 2006

Direct probing of band-structure Berry phase in diluted magnetic semiconductors

We report on experimental evidence of the Berry phase accumulated by the charge carrier wave function in single-domain nanowires made from a (Ga,Mn)(As,P) diluted ferromagnetic semiconductor layer. Its signature on the mesoscopic transport measurements is revealed as unusual patterns in the magnetoconductance, that are clearly distinguished from the universal conductance fluctuations. We show that these patterns appear in a magnetic field region where the magnetization rotates coherently and are related to a change in the band-structure Berry phase as the magnetization direction changes. They should be thus considered as a band structure Berry phase fingerprint of the effective magnetic monopoles in the momentum space. We argue that this is an efficient method to vary the band structure in a controlled way and to probe it directly. Hence, (Ga,Mn)As appears to be a very interesting test bench for new concepts based on this geometrical phase.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure