Spin relaxation of conduction electrons in polyvalent metals: A realistic calculation

TL;DR

This paper presents a realistic calculation showing how spin relaxation in metals varies with electronic structure, revealing that aluminum's spin relaxation could be much slower if it had a single valence electron, aiding spintronics design.

Contribution

It provides a detailed calculation linking Fermi surface features to spin relaxation rates, offering insights into tailoring electron spin dynamics in metals.

Findings

Spin relaxation is enhanced at Fermi surface crossings and degeneracy points.

Aluminum with one valence electron would have significantly slower spin relaxation.

The study explains a longstanding experimental puzzle in spin dynamics.

Abstract

Relaxation of electronic spins in metals is significantly enhanced whenever a Fermi surface crosses Brillouin zone boundaries, special symmetry points, or lines of accidental degeneracy. A realistic calculation shows that if aluminum had one valence electron, its spin relaxation would be slower by nearly two orders of magnitude. This not only solves a longstanding experimental puzzle, but also provides a way of tailoring spin dynamics of electrons in a conduction band.