Spin & Magnetization Dynamics

Spin & Magnetization Dynamics Publications

Spintronics, the ability to store and transmit information using the spin degree of freedom, has been a major focus of scientific and technological research in recent years.  Semiconductors are a promising material candidate for this field for many reasons, such as long spin lifetimes, the ability to electrically and optically interact with spin, and compatibility with existing and heavily researched fabrication processes for the current electronics industry.  It is these benefits along with our group’s interest and expertise in magnetism and spin physics which motivates us to research spin dynamics in semiconductors.  

Towards this end, our group conducts research on the injection, manipulation, and detection of spins in these materials.  Some examples of questions which this research might seek to address are “How can we efficiently create a spin polarization?” or “What mechanism governs the relaxation of spin in these systems?”  One technique which our group specializes in in to help answer questions such as these is the pump-probe technique, through which we can use two pulsed laser beams to first inject a spin polarization into the material, and then probe it using the time-resolved Kerr Effect in order to map out the time evolution of the injected spin polarization.  Through this and other methods, we aim to lay the foundation for future investigations which could realize the full control of the spin degree of freedom in these materials.

Current Members Working in this field:

Michael Swartz