Graduate Texts in Condensed Matter
The De Gruyter series Graduate Texts in Condensed Matter (GTCM) covers all aspects of Condensed Matter Physics as e.g.:
for Graduate Students and Researchers.
Series Editor: Professor Dr. Christian Enss, Managing Director of the Kirchhoff Institute for Physics, Ruprecht-Karls-University, Heidelberg/Germany.
Fachgebiete
Starting from quantum mechanical and condensed matter foundations, this book introduces into the necessary theory behind spin electronics (Spintronics). Equations of spin diffusion, -evolution and -tunelling are provided before an overview is given of simulation of spin transport at the atomic scale. Furthermore, applications are discussed with a focus on elementary spintronics devices such as spin valves, memory cells and hard disk heads.
As a continuation of classical condensed matter physics texts, this graduate textbook introduces advanced topics of correlated electron systems, mesoscopic transport,quantum computing, optical excitations and topological insulators. The book is focusing on an intuitive understanding of the basic concepts of these rather complex subjects.
Spintronics, being a part of electronics, is under intense development for about forty years and mainly concerns transport of electronics spin in low-dimensional structures. This field, based on often difficult theoretical concepts of quantum physics, has surprisingly strong and real technological and application consequences. Thus, spintronic solutions concern memory systems, information processing devices and are used as sensors to detect variety of physical fields. The early development of this field can be associated with the names of such scientists as: E. I. Rashba, A. Fert, P. Grünberg, J. Barnaś, B. Hillebrands, G. Güntherodt, I. K. Schuller, M. Grimsditch, A. Hoffman, P. Vavassori, and S. Datta. This list is absolutely not closed and might be easily extended, however, it results rather from scientific history and contacts with people who influenced the research carriers of the authors. The authors give in this up-dated 2nd edition an insight into this emerging field providing theoretical and experimental aspects of spintronics and guide readers from a basic understanding of fundamental processes to recent applications and future possibilities opened by ongoing research.
The textbook is suited for students and for interested scientists who were discouraged by the theoretical formalism only.
