Regensburg 2016 – scientific programme

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MA: Fachverband Magnetismus

MA 30: Spin-Torque Phenomena

MA 30.5: Talk

Wednesday, March 9, 2016, 11:00–11:15, H33

Spin transfer torque within the 3D-WKB electron tunneling model — Gabor Mandi¹ and •Krisztian Palotas^1,2 — ¹Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Department of Theoretical Physics, Budapest, Hungary — ²Slovak Academy of Sciences, Institute of Physics, Bratislava, Slovakia

We introduce a calculation method for a combined description of charge and vector spin transport of tunneling electrons in magnetic scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) within the three-dimensional Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin (3D-WKB) theory based on electronic structure data from first principles. Taking the Fe/W(110) surface, we show that the ratio between the spin transfer torque (STT) and the spin-polarized charge current is not constant and can be tuned by the bias voltage, tip-sample distance and magnetization rotation. Thus, we demonstrate the possible enhancement of the STT efficiency in magnetic STM junctions. We discuss our results in view of the indirect measurement of STT above the Fe/W(110) surface reported by Krause et al. in Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 186601 (2011).