This CAREER award is made in a partnership of the Division of Materials Research with NSF EPSCoR. It supports theoretical research and education to investigate spin-polarized currents in nanostructures with a focus on the spin-transfer torque effects induced by high currents exceeding those of present day studies. The spin-transfer torque phenomenon enables spin manipulation by electric current. Nano-structures with a number of different spin-current interaction mechanisms will be considered. The investigation includes structures made of ferromagnets, non-magnetic metals, semiconductors, and superconductors. In each case, extra-strong currents will be studied with the goal of revealing new physics and uncovering unexpected technological opportunities. In this integrated research-teaching project, the PI aims to: 1.) Establish a strong theory program in spintronics at the University of South Carolina with extensive training of graduate and undergraduate students. 2.) Dramatically improve its connection with the leading research groups in the field in a transformative way by creating a cyber-enabled environment tailored for remote collaborations in physics. 3.) Promote cyber-collaboration practices in the entire physics community and perfect collaboration techniques for future transfer to other disciplines. 4.) Use the collaborative cyber-environment to create a virtual organization dedicated to remote training and mentoring, with the aim of drawing more people into teaching physics and creating new meaningful teacher-student relationships by using the social network approach, and to link this remote mentoring program with existing physics portals. 5.) Provide mentoring and an effective introduction to physics and mathematics for local members of underrepresented minority students through a joint educational program with Benedict College, a historically black college.
Non-Technical Summary This CAREER award supports fundamental theoretical research and education to explore new phenomena that may lead to new developments in information technology. This award is made in partnership with the Division of Materials Research and NSF EPSCoR. An electron can be thought of as being a very tiny magnet. The motion of tiny magnets or changing the direction in which they point can lead to currents called spin currents. This research focuses on the manipulation of the magnetic orientation of electrons in materials on the scale of nanometers, for perspective a human hair is about 100,000 nanometers. The interest of scientific and engineering community in spin currents and spin manipulation stems from the continuing push to miniaturize electronic devices which will soon be so small that quantum mechanics will be needed to understand their fundamental operation. This opens new challenges and opportunities to discover and exploit new phenomena to form the basis of new electronic device technology. Manipulating electrons through its magnetic properties, or spintronics, offers one such promising direction. The research supported by this award pursues one aspect of this approach by studying very strong spin currents in nanometer scale materials with an aim to discover new phenomena with potential application to future information technology. The PI will also implement cyberinfrastructure for remote collaboration and mentoring creating a virtual organization for remote training of students. The PI aims to use the resulting educational network to open new entry points into physical and mathematical sciences for underrepresented groups and to provide a better recruiting base for American universities and industry. This effort will be enhanced through a joint educational program with Benedict College, a historically black college.
