Perfect spin filter by periodic drive of a ferromagnetic quantum barrier

Abstract

We consider the problem of particle tunneling through a periodically driven ferromagnetic quantum barrier connected to two leads. The barrier is modeled by an impurity site representing a ferromagnetic layer or quantum dot in a tight-binding Hamiltonian with a local magnetic field and an AC-driven potential, which is solved using the Floquet formalism. The repulsive interactions in the quantum barrier are also taken into account. Our results show that the time-periodic potential causes sharp resonances of perfect transmission and reflection, which can be tuned by the frequency, the driving strength, and the magnetic field. We demonstrate that a device based on this configuration could act as a highly-tunable spin valve for spintronic applications.