Boltzmann theory of magnetoresistance due to a spin spiral

Abstract

We studied the magnetoresistance due to a spin spiral by solving the Boltzmann equation. The scattering rates of conduction electrons are calculated by using the non-perturbative wave function of the conduction electrons and the non-equilibrium distribution function is obtained by numerically solving the Boltzmann equation. These enable us to calculate the resistivity of a sufficiently thin spin spiral. A magnetoresistance ratio of more than 50% is predicted for a spin spiral with high spin polarization (>0.8) and a small period (about 1-2 nm).