| CONDENSED MATTER: ELECTRONIC STRUCTURE, ELECTRICAL, MAGNETIC, AND OPTICAL PROPERTIES |
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Spin Transport in a Magnetic Superlattice with Broken Two-Fold Symmetry |
HUO Qiu-Hong1, WANG Ru-Zhi1, CHEN Si-Ying2, XUE Kun3, YAN Hui1 |
| 1Laboratory of Thin Film Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124 2School of Optoelectronics, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081 3Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computer Technology and School of Physics, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia |
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| Cite this article: |
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HUO Qiu-Hong, WANG Ru-Zhi, CHEN Si-Ying et al 2010 Chin. Phys. Lett. 27 067202 |
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Abstract We theoretically investigate the spin-dependent electron transport properties in a magnetic superlattice (MSL) with broken two-fold symmetry. An abnormal barrier in the MSL can break the two-fold symmetry of the system when it is not located at the two-fold symmetry center. A two-fold symmetry breaking factor is introduced to describe the two-fold symmetry breaking degree. Our numerical calculations show that the transmission, the conductance and the spin polarization are non-trivially dependent on the two-fold symmetry breaking factor. When the factor is large enough, the polarization almost approaches 100% in a proper Fermi energy range. However, for two mutually mirror-symmetric MSLs with the same factor, their polarizations may be either similar or distinct. These features provide some clues to the design and applications of MSL-based spin filters or spin-dependent tunneling electron devices.
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| Keywords:
72.25.Dc
73.21.Cd
75.75.+a
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Received: 01 February 2010
Published: 25 May 2010
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