Spin Currents in Magnetic Nanostructures

V.K. Dugaev a, b, P. Bruno c and J. Barnaś d, e a Department of Physics, Rzeszów University of Technology, al. Powstańców Warszawy 6, 35-959 Rzeszów, Poland b Department of Physics and CFIF, Instituto Superior Técnico, Technical University of Lisbon, av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal c European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, BP 220, 38043 Grenoble, France d Department of Physics, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 85, 61-614 Poznań, Poland e Institute of Molecular Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Smoluchowskiego 17, 60-179 Poznań, Poland

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Received: 7 06 2008;

We discuss some aspects of the problem of spin currents in magnetic nanostructures. One of them is related to the proper definition of the spin current and is generic for any electronic or magnetic system. Using the standard method related to the symmetry with respect to local spin transformations, we analyze the generation of equilibrium spin currents in inhomogeneous magnetic structures. As an example we consider the generation of persistent spin current in a mesoscopic ring.

DOI: 10.12693/APhysPolA.114.975 PACS numbers: 72.25.-b, 73.23.Ra, 75.75.+a