Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference:	EP/D010144/1
Title:	Visiting Fellowship for Professor N Wiser
Principal Investigator:	Hickey, Professor B
Other Investigators:
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Department:	Physics and Astronomy
Organisation:	University of Leeds
Scheme:	Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts:	04 October 2005	Ends:	03 January 2009	Value (£):	9,065
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:	Materials Characterisation
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:	Electronics
Related Grants:
Panel History:
Summary on Grant Application Form
This is a proposal for a Visiting Fellowship for Professor Nathan Wiser of Bar-Ilan University, Israel. Since 1991, Professor Wiser has made two visits each year to the Condensed Matter Physics Group of the University of Leeds. This long-time research collaboration has proved to be extremely fruitful, resulting in over 20 joint publications in first-level journals.As the effort in spin electronics increases, there now exist vast amounts of work on tunnelling, spin injection into semiconductors, and spin-polarised transport in patterned metals. However, the lack of understanding that characterises the experimental results underlines the need for more extensive fundamental studies. One of the keys to understanding these experiments is to elucidate which features of the sample determine the length scale over which the electron spin is coherent - the spin diffusion length. Understanding and controlling the spin diffusion length is thus central to the successful development of spin electronics. Accordingly, an important feature of all the types of experiments listed above is that they depend on the ability of the electron to penetrate an interface or barrier perpendicularly without flipping its spin. This makes CPP (current perpendicular to the layers) measurements an ideal probe for studying spin-polarised transport. The role of the various length scales in magnetic multilayers is now known to be of central importance to the values of MR(H) for the CPP mode. However, some ideas that had dominated the field for years are in need of revision. In spite of our recent progress, several aspects of this problem remain unclear. We are applying for support to continue to develop the new ideas by means of a series of experiments and calculations designed to clarify the question of the length scales relevant for transport in thin films.
Key Findings
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Potential use in non-academic contexts
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Impacts
Description This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk Summary Date Materialised
Sectors submitted by the Researcher
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Project URL:
Further Information:
Organisation Website:	http://www.leeds.ac.uk