New theory could change the design of future spintronic circuits
The flow of electric charge lies at the heart of electronic circuits. However, electrons also have spin, and flows of electron spin play a vital role in spintronic circuits. These could be essential for our future computing technologies. A current issue with traditional spintronic materials such as magnetic materials is that they are susceptible to electromagnetic fields, which could disrupt spin flows. Therefore, non-magnetic materials that are resistant to these fields are an attractive alternative. Rembert Duine of Eindhoven University of Technology and Utrecht University along with Andreas Rückriegel from Utrecht University have developed a new theory to study spin transport in non-magnetic materials. This theory can help in the design and development of new materials for future spintronic applications.