Spin Conductance of Diffusive Graphene Nanoribbons: a Probe of Zigzag Edge Magnetization

Abstract

We investigate spin transport in diffusive graphene nanoribbons with both clean and rough zigzag edges, and long-range potential fluctuations. The long-range fields along the ribbon edges cause the local doping to come close to the charge neutrality point forming $p$-$n$ junctions with localized magnetic moments, similar to the predicted magnetic edge of clean zigzag graphene nanoribbons. The resulting random edge magnetization polarizes charge currents and causes sample-to-sample fluctuations of the spin currents obeying universal predictions. We show furthermore that, although the average spin conductance vanishes, an applied transverse in-plane electric field can generate a finite spin conductance. A similar effect can also be achieved by aligning the edge magnetic moments through an external magnetic field.

5 pages, 5 figures, RevTex

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• Magnetic Phases of Graphene Nanoribbons under Potential Fluctuations
• Electric control of the edge magnetization in zigzag stanene nanoribbon
• Boltzmann conductivity of ferromagnetic graphene with magnetic impurities
• Mechanism of Universal Conductance Fluctuations
• Tuning Gap in Corrugated Graphene with Spin Dependence
• Tunneling in rippled graphene superlattice with spin dependence and a mass term
• Spectral analysis of universal conductance fluctuations