Generalized Elliott-Yafet theory of electron spin relaxation in metals: origin of the anomalous electron spin lifetime in MgB2

The temperature dependence of the electron-spin relaxation time in MgB2 is anomalous as it does not follow the resistivity above 150 K; it has a maximum around 400 K and decreases for higher temperatures. This violates the well established Elliot-Yafet theory of spin relaxation in metals. The anomaly occurs when the quasiparticle scattering rate (in energy units) is comparable to the energy difference between the conduction and a neighboring bands. The anomalous behavior is related to the unique band structure of MgB2 and the large electron-phonon coupling. The saturating spin relaxation is the spin transport analogue of the Ioffe-Regel criterion of electron transport.     

Quantum theory of transverse galvano-magnetic phenomena

A quantum theory of electrical conduction in crosfsed electric and magnetic fields is given for the limit of very weak scattering. A density matrix formulation of the problem is used, and an arbitrary scattering mechanism is considered. The theory is found to be completely equivalent to theories given earlier by and by and .

Formulae are given for the resistivity in the quantum limit for both longitudinal and transverse orientations of electric field, for degenerate and non-degenerate statistics, and for several different scattering mechanisms. The oscillatory conductivity is calculated for acoustical and ionized-impurity scattering mechanisms. Formulae obtained for the quantum transport effects are in disagreement with the formulae of and of . The discrepancy is attributed to unwarranted approximations in those authors' treatments of scattering.     

Persistent currents in a thin hollow cylinder: The role of virtual channels

We investigate analytically and numerically the energy bands, persistent currents and the magnetic moment in a thin hollow cylinder in the presence of a magnetic field including the spin. Two different cases are considered systematically, an Aharonov-Bohm flux threading the hole of a cylinder and a magnetic field penetrating the whole cylinder. It is shown that the halving of the fundamental period of the magnetic moment can be attributed to the coupling of the azimuthal and paraxial electron motions caused by the impurity scattering. The influence of the virtual channels, resulting from evanescent states, on the energy bands and persistent currents is examined in detail. The virtual channels assure a continuous reconstruction of the energy bands immediately under the thresholds of the channels.     

Concept of formation length in radiation theory

The features of electromagnetic processes are considered which connected with finite size of space region in which final particles (photon, electron–positron pair) are formed. The longitudinal dimension of the region is known as the formation length. If some external agent is acting on an electron while traveling this distance the emission process can be disrupted. There are different agents: multiple scattering of projectile, polarization of a medium, action of external fields, etc. The theory of radiation under influence of the multiple scattering, the Landau–Pomeranchuk–Migdal (LPM) effect, is presented. The probability of radiation is calculated with an accuracy up to “next to leading logarithm” and with the Coulomb corrections taken into account. The integral characteristics of bremsstrahlung are given, it is shown that the effective radiation length increases due to the LPM effect at high energy. The LPM effect for pair creation is also presented. The multiple scattering influences also on radiative corrections in a medium (and an external field too) including the anomalous magnetic moment of an electron and the polarization tensor as well as coherent scattering of a photon in a Coulomb field. The polarization of a medium alters the radiation probability in soft part of spectrum. Specific features of radiation from a target of finite thickness include: the boundary photon emission, interference effects for thin target, multi-photon radiation. The theory predictions are compared with experimental data obtained at SLAC and CERN SPS. For electron–positron colliding beams following items are discussed: the separation of coherent and incoherent mechanisms of radiation, the beam-size effect in bremsstrahlung, coherent radiation and mechanisms of electron–positron creation.     

Generation of spin currents via Raman scattering

We show theoretically that stimulated spin-flip Raman scattering can be used to inject spin currents in doped semiconductors with spin-split bands. A pure spin current, where oppositely oriented spins move in opposite directions, can be injected in zinc blende crystals and structures. The calculated spin current should be detectable by pump-probe optical spectroscopy and anomalous Hall effect measurement.     

Spin hall effect in the presence of spin diffusion

Hirsch [Phys. Rev. Lett. 83, 1834 (1999)] recently proposed a spin Hall effect based on the anomalous scattering mechanism in the absence of spin-flip scattering. Since the anomalous scattering causes both anomalous currents and a finite spin-diffusion length, we derive the spin Hall effect in the presence of spin diffusion from a semiclassical Boltzmann equation. When the formulation is applied to certain metals and semiconductors, the magnitude of the spin Hall voltage due to the spin accumulation is found to be much larger than that of magnetic multilayers. An experiment is proposed to measure this spin Hall effect.     

Heusler合金Co2TiSn的磁性与输运性能

通过对Heusler合金Co₂TiSn磁性和输运性能的实验研究，发现低场中Co_{2< /sub>TiSn呈现出亚铁磁性；电阻和霍尔电阻率在温度低于8K时均出现异常.同时分析了电输 运的散射机制，并对反常霍尔效应产生的机制进行了探讨. 关键词： Heusler合金 磁性 输运性能}     

Charge-carrier transport properties of ultrathin Pb films

The charge-carrier transport properties of ultrathin metallic films are analysed with ab initio methods using the density functional theory (DFT) on free-standing single crystalline slabs in the thickness range between 1 and 8 monolayers and compared with experiments for Pb films on Si(111). A strong interplay between bandstructure, quantised in the direction normal to the ultrathin film, charge-carrier scattering mechanisms and magnetoconduction was found. Based on the bandstructure obtained from the DFT, we used standard Boltzmann transport theory in two dimensions to obtain results for the electronic transport properties of 2 to 8 monolayers thick Pb(111) slabs with and without magnetic field. Comparison of calculations and experiment for the thickness dependence of the dc conductivity shows that the dominant scattering mechanism of electrons is diffuse elastic interface scattering for which the assumption of identical scattering times for all subbands and directions, used in this paper, is a good approximation. Within this model we can explain the thickness dependences of the electric conductivity and of the Hall coefficient as well as the anomalous behaviour of the first Pb layer.Received: 19 September 2003, Published online: 8 December 2003PACS: 73.50.Jt Electronic transport phenomena in thin films: Galvanomagnetic and other magnetotransport effects - 73.61.At Electrical properties of specific thin films: Metals and metallic alloys - 73.20.At Electron states at surfaces and interfaces - 71.15.Mb Density functional theory     

Magnetic flux and strain effects on electron transport in a linear array of nanoscopic rings

Electron transport through a linear array of nanoscopic rings with six quantum dot sites per ring is investigated in the presence of an external magnetic flux producing an Aharonov-Bohm phase shift effect. A tight-binding model is employed to analytically calculate the transmission as a function of electron energy, external flux, and inter-site coupling parameters. Current vs. voltage relationships of the ring system are computed using a standard scattering theory of transport and shown to modulate between semiconductor and ohmic characteristics. System parameters are adjusted in order to study the effects of a longitudinal strain on the transmission properties of the linear multiple-ring array. Longitudinal strain is modeled with a Slater-Koster type theory and is demonstrated to affect the transmission properties primarily by narrowing the transmission bands and opening up additional bandgaps in the band structure. In addition, a universal resonant transmission condition as a function of flux is extended to show that the application of strain causes the resonant transmission peaks to converge towards one-half of a flux quantum.     

Weak localization corrections to the anomalous Hall effect

We calculate localization corrections to the anomalous Hall conductivity in the framework of side-jump and skew scattering mechanisms. In contrast to the ordinary Hall effect, there exists a nonvanishing localization correction to the anomalous Hall resistivity. The correction to the anomalous Hall conductivity vanishes in case of side-jump mechanism, but is nonzero for the skew scattering.     

Diffusion processes in defective crystals and multistate diffusion

A stochastic theory of multistate diffusion on defective lattices is introduced via a defect-dressed continuous-time random walk propagator. The method is employed for periodic defective lattices to analyze: multistate diffusion; the effects of lattice structure on diffusion constants; and variations in quasielastic neutron scattering line-shapes due to migration mechanisms. A new interpretation of anomalous vacancy diffusion, deviating from Arrhenius behaviour, due to competition between different monovacancy migration mechanisms is given.     

Scaling law of anomalous Hall effect in Fe/Cu bilayers

The scaling of anomalous Hall resistivity on longitudinal resistivity has been intensively studied in different magnetic systems, including multilayer and granular films, to examine whether a skew scattering or a side jump mechanism dominates in the origin of anomalous Hall effect (AHE). The scaling law is based on the premise that both resistivities are a consequence of electron scattering by the imperfections in the materials. By studying the anomalous Hall effect in the simple Fe/Cu bilayers, it was demonstrated that the measured anomalous Hall effect should not follow the scaling laws derived from skew scattering or side jump mechanism due to the short-circuit and shunting effects of the non-magnetic layers.     

The pair scattering and the photoemission effect in GaAs

The photoemission effect in GaAs is calculated for photon energies up to 12 eV using a direct transition model and pseudopotential energy bands. The effect of the pair scattering in the energy distribution curves is included using a mean free path approximation and a first order perturbation treatment for the coulombic interaction producing the scattering. The absolute value of the yield function is well reproduced. A detailed discussion of the contribution from scattered and unscattered electrons to the energy distribution curves is performed and their interpretation in terms of the details of the energy bands is given.     

Impact of exchange-correlation effects on the IV characteristics of a molecular junction

The role of exchange-correlation effects in nonequilibrium quantum transport through molecular junctions is assessed by analyzing the IV curve of a generic two-level model using self-consistent many-body perturbation theory (second Born and GW approximations) on the Keldysh contour. It is demonstrated how the variation of the molecule's energy levels with the bias voltage can produce anomalous peaks in the dI/dV curve. This effect is suppressed by electronic self-interactions and is therefore underestimated in standard transport calculations based on density functional theory. Inclusion of dynamic correlations introduces quasiparticle (QP) scattering which in turn broadens the molecular resonances. The broadening increases strongly with bias and can have a large impact on the calculated IV characteristic.     

Theorie der galvanomagnetischen Erscheinungen bei beliebigen Energieflächen und anisotroper Streuung der Leitungselektronen

A theory of the galvano-magnetic phenomena of conduction electrons is presented for the case of weak magnetic fields, allowing any energy band structure and any anisotropic scattering mechanism. In order to solve the Boltzmann transport equation an iteration — variation —procedure is developed. It is shown that the variety of trial functions can be restricted considerably by taking into account the point symmetry of the problem. Equations for the phenomenological constants are derived for crystals of octahedral symmetry. The theory, simplified for spherical energy surfaces, is used to calculate the temperature dependence of the galvano-magnetic constants of Na and K.     

Hot electrons in nonparabolic bands with acoustic and polar optical phonon scattering

Most compound semiconductors have nonparabolic energy bands, and in pure material the dominant scattering mechanisms are usually by acoustic and polar optical phonons. In this paper, general expressions for the high-field transport properties of such materials are derived, using the balance-of-energy method and assuming a drifted Maxwellian distribution function. Under certain conditions the resultant drift velocity-field curves show a single-band negative differential resistance, arising not only from the increase in effective mass with carrier energy, but also from the change in relative scattering efficiencies of the two mechanisms as the applied field is increased. This effect is more marked at low temperatures. The model gives good agreement with previously reported experimental results on n-type PbTe at 77°K.     

An Extended Extrinsic Mechanism for Anomalous Hall Effect

The extrinsic mechanism for anomalous Hall effect in ferromagnets is extended to include the contributions both from spin-orbit-dependent impurity scattering and from the spin-orbit coupling induced by external electric fields. The results obtained suggest that, within the framework of the extrinsic mechanisms, the anomalous Hall current in a ferromagnet may also contain asubstantial amount of dissipationless contribution independent of impurity scattering. After the contribution from the spin-orbit coupling induced by external electric fields is included, the total anomalous Hall conductivity is about two times larger than that due to spin-orbit dependent impurity scatterings.     

Microscopic theory of vortex pinning on columnar defects in conventional and chiral superconductors

The mechanisms of individual vortex pinning and stability of multivortex configurations in different super-conducting compounds and artificial structures are analyzed on the basis of microscopic theory, which allowed describing the corresponding modification of the anomalous spectral branches in the quasiparticle spectrum caused by the electron scattering at the defect. The individual pinning potentials and corresponding depinning currents are evaluated. The experimentally observable consequences for the scanning tunneling microscopy characteristics and high-frequency field response are discussed. The comparative study of the conventional and chiral superconductors allowed suggesting experimental tests probing the superconducting gap symmetry. The chiral superconductors are shown to reveal a strong dependence of the pinning characteristics on the mutual orientation of the magnetic field and internal angular momentum of the Cooper pair.     

Resonant scattering by impurities in metals and the Anderson model

The Anderson Hamiltonian, written in a representation where the extra orbital is not orthogonal to the conduction states, is used to derive a general theory of the electronic structure of dilute alloys. The theory describes both simple impurities in the over-complete or Wolff limit, and transition or rare-earth impurities where the scattering of the conduction electrons has a resonance. The extra-orbital of Anderson is shown to be identical to a bound state extracted from higher bands by the impurity potential, and overlapping the conduction band in energy. The resonant scattering of conduction electrons is described by a pseudopotential, which is singular in energy, in analogy to the theory of band structures of pure transition elements. The position and width of the resonance, as well as a direct scattering potential introduced by the non-orthogonality, are given in terms of Anderson's parameters. The resonance is narrowed by the non-orthogonality and disappears in the over-complete limit.     

Quantum transport equation for electric and magnetic fields

A quantum Boltzmann equation is derived which is valid for electron transport in electric and magnetic fields including all many-body effects. A solution in both d.c. and a.c. electric fields is given for electrons in simple metals. The solution for transport in large magnetic fields is also given including a theory of the Shubnikov-deHaas oscillations which includes inelastic phonon scattering rigorously.