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The spin diffusion in normal and superfluid Fermi liquids

Journal Article · · Journal of Low Temperature Physics; (United States)
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00683524· OSTI ID:5200653
 [1]
  1. Walther-Meissner-Inst fuer Tieftemperaturforschung, Muenchen (West Germany)
Spin diffusion in paramagnetic spin systems is a dissipative process that acts so as to remove all spatial variation of the magnetization. In normal and superfluid Fermi liquids its physical origin lies in the nonconservation property of the macroscopic magnetization current associated with the thermal excitations, the Landau and Bogolyubov quasi-particles, respectively. In the hydrodynamic limit, this dissipative process manifests itself in a constitutive relation connecting the decaying magnetization current with gradients in the magnetization density via a coefficient of spin diffusion. Exchange contributions to the quasi-particle interaction introduce, in addition, reactive processes, which can be associated with a rotation of the quasi-particle spin current about the direction of the spin polarization. This so-called spin current rotation - or Leggett-Rice effect - leads to nonhydrodynamic behavior of the spin diffusion whenever the exchange frequency becomes comparable to the inverse spin-current relaxation time. This article reviews the current understanding of diffusional spin transport, as influenced by nonhydrodynamic effects, in normal and superfluid Fermi systems.
OSTI ID:
5200653
Journal Information:
Journal of Low Temperature Physics; (United States), Journal Name: Journal of Low Temperature Physics; (United States) Vol. 84:5-6; ISSN 0022-2291; ISSN JLTPA
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English