Boltzmann transport calculation of collinear spin transport on short timescales

Abstract

A spin-dependent Boltzmann transport equation is used to describe charge and spin dynamics resulting from the excitation of hot electrons in a ferromagnet/normal metal heterostructure. As the microscopic Boltzmann equation works with $k$-dependent distribution functions, it can describe far-from-equilibrium excitations, which are outside the scope of drift-diffusion theories. We study different scenarios for spin-dependent carrier injection into a nonmagnetic metal using an effectively two-dimensional phase space. While the charge signal is robust for various excitation schemes, the shape of the resulting spin current/density depends critically on the interplay between transport and scattering, and on the energetic distribution of the injected carriers. Our results imply that the energy dependence of the injected hot electrons has a decisive effect on the spin dynamics.