title: Probing spin-flip scattering in ballistic nanosystems.
abstract: Because spin-flip length is longer than the electron mean-free path in a metal, past studies of spin-flip scattering are limited to the diffusive regime. We propose to use a magnetic double barrier tunnel junction to study spin-flip scattering in the nanometer sized spacer layer near the ballistic limit. We extract the voltage and temperature dependence of the spin-flip conductance Gs in the spacer layer from magnetoresistance measurements. In addition to spin scattering information including the mean-free path (70 nm) and the spin-flip length (1.0-2.6 microm) at 4.2 K, this technique also yields information on the density of states and quantum well resonance in the spacer layer.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Magnetism & Laboratory of Microfabrication, Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing 100080, China.
authors.forename: Z M
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: X F
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: W S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Zhan
authors.forename: X-G
authors.initials: XG
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang