Anisotropy of spin relaxation in metals

Abstract

The concept of anisotropy of spin relaxation in non-magnetic metals with respect to the spin direction of the injected electrons relative to the crystal orientation is introduced. The effect is related to an anisotropy of the Elliott-Yafet parameter, arising from a modulation of the decomposition of the spin-orbit Hamiltonian into spin-conserving and spin-flip terms as the spin quantization axis is varied. This anisotropy, reaching gigantic values for uniaxial transition-metals (e.g. 830% for hcp Hf) as density-functional calculations show, is related to extended "spin-flip hot areas" on the Fermi surface created by the proximity of extended sheets of the surface, or "spin-flip hot loops" at the Brillouin zone boundary, and has no theoretical upper limit. Possible ways of measuring the effect as well as consequences in application are briefly outlined.