Evidence of spontaneous spin polarized transport in magnetic nanowires

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that magnetic and certain non-magnetic nanowires can spontaneously exhibit fully spin-polarized electron transport at room temperature, indicating induced magnetic behavior due to low dimensionality.

Contribution

It provides experimental evidence of spontaneous spin polarization in magnetic and non-magnetic nanowires at room temperature, revealing new magnetic phenomena in low-dimensional systems.

Findings

Ferromagnetic Co nanowires show half conductance quantum transport.

Pd and Pt nanowires also exhibit similar spin-polarized behavior.

Results suggest low dimensionality induces or enhances magnetic properties.

Abstract

The exploitation of the spin in charge-based systems is opening revolutionary opportunities for device architecture. Surprisingly, room temperature electrical transport through magnetic nanowires is still an unresolved issue. Here, we show that ferromagnetic (Co) suspended atom chains spontaneously display an electron transport of half a conductance quantum, as expected for a fully polarized conduction channel. Similar behavior has been observed for Pd (a quasi-magnetic 4d metal) and Pt (a non-magnetic 5d metal). These results suggest that the nanowire low dimensionality reinforces or induces magnetic behavior, lifting off spin degeneracy even at room temperature and zero external magnetic field.