Angular and linear momentum of excited ferromagnets

Peng Yan, Akashdeep Kamra, Yunshan Cao, and Gerrit E. W. Bauer
Phys. Rev. B 88, 144413 – Published 14 October 2013

Abstract

The angular momentum vector of a Heisenberg ferromagnet with isotropic exchange interaction is conserved, while under uniaxial crystalline anisotropy the projection of the total spin along the easy axis is a constant of motion. Using Noether's theorem, we prove that these conservation laws persist in the presence of dipole-dipole interactions. However, spin and orbital angular momentum are no longer conserved separately. We also define the linear momentum of ferromagnetic textures. We illustrate the general principles with special reference to spin transfer torques and identify the emergence of a nonadiabatic effective field acting on domain walls in ferromagnetic insulators.

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  • Received 12 July 2013

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.88.144413

©2013 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Peng Yan1, Akashdeep Kamra1, Yunshan Cao1, and Gerrit E. W. Bauer2,1

  • 1Kavli Institute of NanoScience, Delft University of Technology, Lorentzweg 1, 2628 CJ Delft, The Netherlands
  • 2Institute for Materials Research and WPI-AIMR, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8577, Japan

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Issue

Vol. 88, Iss. 14 — 1 October 2013

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