American Institute of Mathematical Sciences

December  2011, 4(4): 1159-1191. doi: 10.3934/krm.2011.4.1159

Diffusion limit of a generalized matrix Boltzmann equation for spin-polarized transport

 1 Institute of Theoretical and Computational Physics, Graz University of Technology, Petersgasse 16, 8010 Graz 2 Laboratoire CMI/LATP, Université de Provence, 39, rue Joliot Curie, 13453 Marseille Cedex 13

Received  May 2011 Revised  September 2011 Published  November 2011

The aim of the present paper is the mathematical study of a linear Boltzmann equation with different matrix collision operators, modelling the spin-polarized, semi-classical electron transport in non-homogeneous ferromagnetic structures. In the collision kernel, the scattering rate is generalized to a hermitian, positive-definite $2\times2$ matrix whose eigenvalues stand for the different scattering rates of, for example, spin-up and spin-down electrons in spintronic applications. We identify four possible structures of linear matrix collision operators that yield existence and uniqueness of a weak solution of the Boltzmann equation for a general Hamilton function. We are able to prove positive-(semi)definiteness of a solution for an operator that features an anti-symmetric structure of the gain respectively the loss term with respect to the occurring matrix products. Furthermore, in order to obtain matrix drift-diffusion equations, we perform the diffusion limit with one of the symmetric operators assuming parabolic spin bands with uniform band gap and in the case that the precession frequency of the spin distribution vector around the exchange field of the Hamiltonian scales with order $\epsilon^2$. Numerical simulations of the here obtained macroscopic model were carried out in non-magnetic/ferromagnetic multilayer structures and for a magnetic Bloch domain wall. The results show that our model can be used to improve the understanding of spin-polarized transport in spintronics applications.
Citation: Stefan Possanner, Claudia Negulescu. Diffusion limit of a generalized matrix Boltzmann equation for spin-polarized transport. Kinetic & Related Models, 2011, 4 (4) : 1159-1191. doi: 10.3934/krm.2011.4.1159
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