Precession of conduction-electron spins near an interface between normal and magnetic metals

A current crossing the interface between a ferromagnetic layer F/sub 1/ and a normal layer N induces a magnetization in the conduction-electron gas near the interface. This "spin-injection" manifests itself as a DC voltage between N and a second ferromagnetic layer F/sub 2/ deposited on N. We treat the case where the magnetizations of F/sub 1/ and F/sub 2/ are perpendicular. The spin

of injected conduction electrons precesses around the exchange field present in F/sub 2/. As a result, the direction of the local conduction-electron spin density in F/sub 2/ is a function of the distance from the N-F/sub 2/ interface.