Abstract
We theoretically study the electron transport properties in a ferromagnetic/normal/ferromagnetic tunnel junction, which is deposited on the top of a topological surface. The conductance at the parallel (P) configuration can be much bigger than that at the antiparallel (AP) configuration. Compared P with AP configuration, there exists a shift of phase which can be tuned by gate voltage. We find that the exchange field weakly affects the conductance of carriers for P configuration but can dramatically suppress the conductance of carriers for AP configuration. This controllable electron transport implies anomalous magnetoresistance in this topological spin valve, which may contribute to the development of spintronics. In addition, there shows an existence of Fabry-Perot-like electron interference in our model based on the topological insulator, which does not appear in the same model based on the two dimensional electron gas.
Highlights
The concept of a topological insulator (TI) dates back to the work of Kane and Mele, who focused on two-dimensional (2D) systems 1
We find that the conductance at the P configuration can be much bigger than that at the AP configuration
Compared P with AP configuration, there exists a shift of phase which can be tuned by gate voltage
Summary
The concept of a topological insulator (TI) dates back to the work of Kane and Mele, who focused on two-dimensional (2D) systems 1. The surface of a three-dimensional (3D) TI, such as Bi2Se3 or Bi2Te3 [4], is a 2D metal, whose band structure consists of an odd number of Dirac cones, centered at time reversal invariant momenta in the surface Brillouin zone [5] This corresponds to the infinite mass Rashba model [6], where only one of the spin-split bands exists. We find that the exchange field weakly affects the conductance of carriers for P configuration but can dramatically suppress the conductance of carriers for AP configuration This controllable electron transport implies anomalous magnetoresistance in this topological spin valve, which may contribute to the development of spintronics.
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