Quasiparticle dynamics in ferromagnetic compounds of the Co-Fe and Ni-Fe systems

TL;DR

This paper presents a theoretical analysis of quasiparticle lifetimes and mean free paths in ferromagnetic Co-Fe and Ni-Fe compounds, highlighting spin asymmetry effects relevant for spin-dependent transport.

Contribution

It provides a detailed spin-polarized $GW$ calculation of quasiparticle properties in Co-Fe and Ni-Fe compounds, focusing on spin asymmetry and its impact on spin filtering.

Findings

Spin asymmetry significantly influences quasiparticle lifetimes.

Theoretical estimates align with experimental attenuation lengths.

Inelastic mean free path contributes notably to electron transport properties.

Abstract

We report a theoretical study of the quasiparticle lifetime and the quasiparticle mean free path caused by inelastic electron-electron scattering in ferromagnetic compounds of the Co-Fe and Ni-Fe systems. The study is based on spin-polarized calculations, which are performed within the $GW$ approximation for equiatomic and Co- and Ni-rich compounds, as well as for their constituents. We mainly focus on the spin asymmetry of the quasiparticle properties, which leads to the spin-filtering effect experimentally observed in spin-dependent transport of hot electrons and holes in the systems under study. By comparing with available experimental data on the attenuation length, we estimate the contribution of the inelastic mean free path to the latter.