Research suggests a novel approach to enhance spintronics, paving the way for advancements in future technology.
In a new breakthrough, researchers have used a novel technique to confirm a previously undetected physics phenomenon that could be used to improve data storage in the next generation of computer devices.
Spintronic memories, utilized in advanced computers and satellites, leverage the magnetic states produced by the intrinsic angular momentum of electrons for data storage and retrieval. Depending on its physical motion, an electron’s spin produces a magnetic current. Known as the “spin Hall effect,” this has key applications for magnetic materials across many different fields, ranging from low-power electronics to fundamental quantum mechanics.
More recently, scientists have found that electrons are also capable of generating electricity through a second kind of movement: orbital angular momentum, similar to how Earth revolves around the sun. This is known as the “orbital Hall effect,” said Roland Kawakami, co-author of the study and a professor in physics at The Ohio State University.
A Method to Observe the Orbital Hall Effect
Theorists predicted that by using light transition metals – materials that have weak spin Hall currents – magnetic currents generated by the orbital Hall effect would be easier to spot flowing alongside them. Until now, directly detecting such a thing has been a challenge, but the study, led by Igor Lyalin, a graduate student in physics, and published in the journal DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.131.156702
Co-authors were Sanaz Alikhah and Peter M. Oppeneer of Uppsala University and Marco Berritta of both Uppsala University and the University of Exeter. This work was supported by the National Science Foundation, the Swedish Research Council, the Swedish National Infrastructure for Computing, and the K. and A. Wallenberg Foundation.