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arXiv · 1207.6277

Spin-orbit-coupling induced domain-wall resistance in diffusive ferromagnets

Zhe Yuan·Yi Liu·Anton A. Starikov·Paul J. Kelly·Arne Brataas
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Abstract

We investigate diffusive transport through a number of domain wall (DW) profiles of the important magnetic alloy Permalloy taking into account simultaneously noncollinearity, alloy disorder, and spin-orbit coupling fully quantum mechanically, from first principles. In addition to observing the known effects of magnetization mistracking and anisotropic magnetoresistance, we discover a not-previously identified contribution to the resistance of a DW that comes from spin-orbit-coupling-mediated spin-flip scattering in a textured diffusive ferromagnet. This adiabatic DW resistance, which should exist in all diffusive DWs, can be observed by varying the DW width in a systematic fashion in suitably designed nanowires.

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Zhe Yuan, Yi Liu, Anton A. Starikov, Paul J. Kelly, Arne Brataas. 2012-12-26. Spin-orbit-coupling induced domain-wall resistance in diffusive ferromagnets. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.109.267201

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