A new way to measure the distance an electron travels in nanoscale materials before its spin is reversed

In a discovery that could contribute to the emerging field of spintronics, scientists have demonstrated a way to measure the distance an electron travels in nanoscale materials before its spin is reversed due to scattering.
     
Because in spintronics, electron spin carries the information, it is important to know how far electrons can travel in a device before this spin information is lost. In a discovery that could contribute to the emerging field of spintronics, scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and the Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Science, have demonstrated a way to measure the distance an electron travels in nanoscale materials before its spin is reversed due to scattering.