Modification of the Landau-Lifshitz equation in the presence of a spin-polarized current in colossal- and giant-magnetoresistive materials

Abstract

We derive a continuum equation for the magnetization of a conducting ferromagnet in the presence of a spin-polarized current. Current effects enter in the form of a topological term in the Landau-Lifshitz equation. In the stationary situation the problem maps onto the motion of a classical charged particle in the field of a magnetic monopole. The spatial dependence of the magnetization is calculated for a one-dimensional geometry and suggestions for experimental observation are made. We also consider time-dependent solutions and predict a spin-wave instability for large currents.