Finite-Size Effect in Phonon-Induced Elliott-Yafet Spin Relaxation in Al

J. D. Watts; Joseph Batley; N. A. Rabideau; J. P. Hoch; L. O'Brien; P. A. Crowell; C. Leighton

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.128.207201

Finite-Size Effect in Phonon-Induced Elliott-Yafet Spin Relaxation in Al

J. D. Watts, Joseph Batley, N. A. Rabideau, J. P. Hoch, L. O'Brien, P. A. Crowell, C. Leighton

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Abstract

The Elliott-Yafet theory of spin relaxation in nonmagnetic metals predicts proportionality between spin and momentum relaxation times for scattering centers such as phonons. Here, we test this theory in Al nanowires over a very large thickness range (8.5-300 nm), finding that the Elliott-Yafet proportionality "constant"for phonon scattering in fact exhibits a large, unanticipated finite-size effect. Supported by analytical and numerical modeling, we explain this via strong phonon-induced spin relaxation at surfaces and interfaces, driven in particular by enhanced spin-orbit coupling.

Original language	English (US)
Article number	207201
Journal	Physical review letters
Volume	128
Issue number	20
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.128.207201
State	Published - May 20 2022

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
Work at the University of Minnesota (UMN) was supported primarily by the National Science Foundation (NSF) through DMR-1807124 and DMR-2103711, with additional support from the Advanced Storage Research Committee (ASRC) and Seagate Technology Inc. Parts of this work were conducted in the Minnesota Nano Center, which is supported by NSF through the National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure under ECCS-2025124, and in the UMN Characterization Facility, which is partially supported by NSF through the MRSEC program. Work at the University of Liverpool was supported by UK EPSRC Grants EP/P005713/1 and EP/V035134/1, and UK Royal Society Grant RGS\R2\180208.

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© 2022 American Physical Society.

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abstract = "The Elliott-Yafet theory of spin relaxation in nonmagnetic metals predicts proportionality between spin and momentum relaxation times for scattering centers such as phonons. Here, we test this theory in Al nanowires over a very large thickness range (8.5-300 nm), finding that the Elliott-Yafet proportionality {"}constant{"}for phonon scattering in fact exhibits a large, unanticipated finite-size effect. Supported by analytical and numerical modeling, we explain this via strong phonon-induced spin relaxation at surfaces and interfaces, driven in particular by enhanced spin-orbit coupling.",

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AU - O'Brien, L.

AU - Crowell, P. A.

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Finite-Size Effect in Phonon-Induced Elliott-Yafet Spin Relaxation in Al

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