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Evaluation of spin-flip scattering in chirality-induced spin selectivity using the Riccati equation
Daniel Nürenberg1, Helmut Zacharias
1Center for Soft Nanoscience, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität, Busso-Peus-Straße 10, 48149 Münster, Germany. d.nuerenberg@wwu.de.
Abstract:
The chirality-induced spin selectivity (CISS) in layers of helical molecules has gained considerable attention in the emerging field of spintronics, because the effect enables spin-filter devices under ambient conditions. Several theoretical studies have been carried out to explain this effect on a microscopic scale, but the origin of the effect is still controversial. In particular, the role of spin-flip scattering during electron transport is an open issue. In this study, we describe the electron and spin transport by macroscopic rate equations including spin-dependent losses and spin-flip scattering. We reduce the problem to the solution of the Riccati differential equation to obtain analytical expressions. The results allow the strength and scalability of CISS based spin-filters to be determined and interpreted from experimental data or quantum mechanical models. For the helical systems studied experimentally so far, it turns out that spin-flip scattering plays a minor role.
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