Physics Colloquium, February 13, 2007
Inelastic Electron Scattering Off Magnetic Impurities Leonid Glazman

University of Minnesota

This talk reviews the theory of electron relaxation in metals with magnetic impurities. Such impurities enhance the energy exchange between electrons and make the electron relaxation sensitive to the magnetic field. The field-induced Zeeman splitting suppresses the electron energy exchange. By quenching the impurity spin fluctuations, magnetic field also helps restoring the electron phase coherence. Further modifications to the electron relaxation come from the interaction between the magnetic impurities (RKKY interaction). These modifications gain significance with the increase of the impurity concentration. The developed theory explains the fast electron energy relaxation which was discovered in experiments with tiny metallic wires about a decade ago. It also suggests a direction for new experiments.

Dr. Glazman's Web Site

4:00 p.m., Physics Research Building (PRB), Room 1080

Reception at 3:45 p.m., Atrium, PRB