Persistent spin currents in mesoscopic Heisenberg rings

Abstract

We show that at low temperatures T an inhomogeneous radial magnetic field with magnitude B gives rise to a persistent magnetization current around a mesoscopic ferromagnetic Heisenberg ring. Under optimal conditions this spin current can be as large as g mu_B (T / hbar) exp [ - 2 pi (g mu_B B / Delta )^1/2 ], as obtained from leading-order spin-wave theory. Here g is the gyromagnetic factor, mu_B is the Bohr magneton, and Delta is the energy gap between the ground state and the first spin-wave excitation. The magnetization current endows the ring with an electric dipole moment.