Left-Right Asymmetry in the Scattering of Electrons by Magnetic Impurities, and a Hall Effect

Abstract

Left-right asymmetry is expected in the scattering of electrons by magnetic impurities in metals; we present a simple calculation of the asymmetry in a virtual-bound-state model. When a magnetic field lines up the impurity moments, this left-right asymmetry should generate an extraordinary Hall effect proportional to the impurity concentration. This effect appears to occur in many magnetic alloys (e.g., ${\mathrm{Ni}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$, ${\mathrm{Cu}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$, and ${\mathrm{Au}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ based alloys).