Magnetoresistance anisotropy in ferromagnetic NiCu alloys

Abstract

The magnetoresistance anisotropy is calculated for ferromagnetic nickel-copper alloys. The model is based on sd impurity scattering at temperatures sufficiently low for the electron-magnon interaction to be negligible. The d bands as well as the conductivity integrals are treated in considerably more detail than previously reported. The results indicate that the majority-spin current favors the condition ρ<ρ and the minority-spin current favors ρ>ρ. This is in opposition to previous work based on overly simplified band models. The feature of the band models. The feature of the band structure most responsible for producing a large, positive, magnetoresistance coefficient (ρ-ρ) ρ av appears to be a near-degeneracy at the Fermi energy between predominantly minority-spin bands. © 1974 The American Physical Society.