Universal Scaling of Ballistic Magnetoresistance in Magnetic Nanocontacts

Published

December 1, 2002

Author(s)

S Chung, M Munoz, N Garcia, William F. Egelhoff Jr., Romel Gomez

Abstract

This paper shows that ballistic magnetoresistance has a universal behavior versus scaled conductance in atomic or nanometer size contacts. New results are presented for half-metallic ferromagnets forming contacts of CrO₂-CrO₂ and CrO₂-Ni that show as much as 400% magnetoresistance. If the maximum magnetoresistance is normalized to unity and the conductance is scaled with the conductivity, then all data points fall in a universal curve independent of the material forming the contact and the conductance mechanism. The analysis has been applied to all available magnetoresistance data in atomic contacts in the literature, and the results are in agreement with a theory that takes into account the scattering with magnetic domain wall for reversal of the spin between the electrodes.

Citation

Physical Review Letters

Volume

89

Issue

No. 28

Pub Type

Journals

Keywords

ballistic magnetoresistance, chromium dioxide, nickel iron oxide

Citation

Chung, S. , Munoz, M. , Garcia, N. , Egelhoff Jr., W. and Gomez, R. (2002), Universal Scaling of Ballistic Magnetoresistance in Magnetic Nanocontacts, Physical Review Letters (Accessed February 2, 2026)