Abstract
We investigate the angular dependence of the spin torque generated when applying a temperature difference across a spin valve. Our study shows the presence of a nontrivial fixed point in this angular dependence. This fixed point opens the possibility for a temperature gradient to stabilize radio frequency oscillations without the need for an external magnetic field. This so-called “wavy” behavior can already be found upon applying a voltage difference across a spin valve but we find that this effect is much more pronounced with a temperature difference. We find that a spin asymmetry of the Seebeck coefficient of the order of should be large enough for a temperature gradient of a few degrees to trigger the radio-frequency oscillations. Our semiclassical theory is fully parametrized with experimentally measured(able) parameters and allows one to quantitatively predict the amplitude of the torque.
- Received 20 February 2014
- Revised 22 September 2014
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.90.144430
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