Possible origin of the interface field in spintronic experiments

Abstract

The effective field at the interface between ferromagnetic and metal layers is often observed in spintronic experiments. It is common to ascribe it to specific exchange interactions caused by spin-orbit coupling, namely, Rashba field, Dzyaloshinskiy-Moriya interaction, spin currents, etc. Alternative view involves the global magnetic field (Oersted field) generated by current both inside and outside the conductor. It is shown here that the inhomogeneous stray field surrounding ferromagnetic layers can produce significant contribution into the observed interface field. This mechanism should be taken into account for better understanding the current-induced phenomena in magnetic multilayers.