Infinite magnetoresistance of magnetic multilayers

TL;DR

This paper investigates the transport properties of magnetic multilayers with current perpendicular to the planes, demonstrating that giant magnetoresistance ratios of arbitrary strength can be achieved by tuning tunnel barriers, under specific scattering conditions.

Contribution

It introduces a multiple-scattering approach to calculate conductance in magnetic superlattices and shows how to achieve large magnetoresistance ratios through barrier tuning.

Findings

Giant magnetoresistance ratios can be arbitrarily large.

Conductance is calculated using a multiple-scattering approach.

Tuning tunnel barriers controls magnetoresistance strength.

Abstract

We examine transport properties of a magnetic superlattice with current perpendicular to the planes. In the limit that the phase-breaking and spin flip scattering lengths are greater than the system size, a multiple-scattering approach is used to calculate the 4-probe conductance. We show that by tuning the strength of tunnel barriers placed between the current and voltage probes giant magnetoresistance ratios of arbitrary strength and size are achievable.