Spin current polarization and electrical conductivity in metal helimagnets

Abstract

The peculiarities of spin and charge kinetics in helical magnetic metals that are due to forces acting on the magnetic moment of conduction electrons in inhomogeneous magnetic field have been considered. Analyzing the equations of motion for non-equilibrium spin density shows that an electric field directed along the axis of the helix produces conduction-electron spin polarization along this direction. Under the same conditions, the directions of polarization of the spin current and polarization of the locally equilibrium spin density are collinear. The specific structure of the effective exchange field acting on the conduction electrons in helical magnets causes two additional spin relaxation mechanisms to emerge. In addition to the mechanism of spin-lattice relaxation, "diffusion" and "precession" mechanisms of spin relaxation exist in conductive helical magnets. The diffusion mechanism is analogous to the Dyakonov-Perel spin relaxation mechanism. The key point is that the inhomogeneities of a magnetic field initiate a coupling between the spin and charge systems. It has been shown that, in a helical metal, the electrical conductivity decreases due to the action of the non-uniform exchange magnetic field. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.