Communications of the ACM
Rechargeable 'spin Battery' Promising For Spintronics and Quantum Computing
Researchers have shown how to create a rechargeable spin battery made out of materials called topological insulators.
Credit: Jifa Tian/Purdue University
Researchers at Purdue University have produced a rechargeable "spin battery" from topological insulators, technology they say has applications in spintronic devices and quantum computers.
They employed bismuth tellurium selenide flakes with ultra-high purity and little bulk doping.
"Because of the spin-momentum locking, you can make the spin of electrons line up or 'locked' in one direction if you pass a current through the topological insulator material, and this is a very interesting effect," says Purdue professor Yong P. Chen.
The research team is the first to induce a two-day-long electron spin polarization even when the current is turned off.
One theory as to the cause of this effect suggests the spin-polarized electrons could be transferring their polarization to the atomic nuclei in the material.
Purdue's Jifa Tian says this "could enable a rechargeable spin battery and rewritable spin memory for potential applications in spintronics and quantum information systems."
From Purdue University News
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