An overview on the interplay between Structural Chirality and Electron Spin in Magneto-Chiral Polarization Effects
Francesco Calavalle
Kyoto University, Department of Electronic Science and Engineering

Thu., Aug. 10, 2023, 1 p.m.
This seminar is held online.
Online: https://tinyurl.com/nanoSeminar-GA


Chirality has long been a central property of matter in both chemistry and biology, with chiral molecular compounds having significant impacts on molecular interactions. More recently, chirality also attracted the attention of condensed matter physics and of the spintronics community, with the discovery that electrons travelling through chiral media may become spin polarized. At first glance this phenomenon can be thought as the analogous of solenoids where electrons travelling through the coil generate a magnetic field along the helical axis. However, at the microscopical level, this macroscopical picture breaks down and the explanation of the interplay between chirality and spin is complex and non-trivial.

Here, I will give an overview on the electrical magneto-chiral anisotropy and chiral induced spin selectivity presenting typical experimental techniques used to investigate the relationship chirality-spin, and theoretical frameworks used to understand these two chirality-based effects. Unveiling the relationship between chirality and electron’s spin is not only a very interesting challenge from a fundamental point of view, but it bares also the potential to be highly impactful for the development of new spintronics applications.


Brief CV

Francesco graduated in physics and got a Master degree on Condensed Matter and Materials Physics by the University of Bologna. Afterwards, he joined CIC nanoGUNE (San Sebastián, Spain) as a pre-doctoral researcher in 2017, in the framework of the EU-funded Innovative Training Network QuESTech to work on a PhD thesis related with Quantum Electronics Science Technology, Supervised by Ikerbasque Professor Luis Hueso. His thesis entitled “Probing and tuning the properties of van der Waals materials” has been awarded the prize for best experimental PhD thesis by the Condensed Matter Physics Division (GEFES) of the Spanish Royal Physics Society (RSEF). Currently, he is working as researcher at Kyoto University (Kyoto, Japan) in the group of Professor Masashi Shiraishi, funded by the Japanese Society for Promotion of Science (JSPS PostDoctoral fellow).



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An overview on the interplay between Structural Chirality and Electron Spin in Magneto-Chiral Polarization Effects
Francesco Calavalle
Kyoto University, Department of Electronic Science and Engineering

Thu., Aug. 10, 2023, 1 p.m.
This seminar is held online.
Online: https://tinyurl.com/nanoSeminar-GA


Chirality has long been a central property of matter in both chemistry and biology, with chiral molecular compounds having significant impacts on molecular interactions. More recently, chirality also attracted the attention of condensed matter physics and of the spintronics community, with the discovery that electrons travelling through chiral media may become spin polarized. At first glance this phenomenon can be thought as the analogous of solenoids where electrons travelling through the coil generate a magnetic field along the helical axis. However, at the microscopical level, this macroscopical picture breaks down and the explanation of the interplay between chirality and spin is complex and non-trivial.

Here, I will give an overview on the electrical magneto-chiral anisotropy and chiral induced spin selectivity presenting typical experimental techniques used to investigate the relationship chirality-spin, and theoretical frameworks used to understand these two chirality-based effects. Unveiling the relationship between chirality and electron’s spin is not only a very interesting challenge from a fundamental point of view, but it bares also the potential to be highly impactful for the development of new spintronics applications.


Brief CV

Francesco graduated in physics and got a Master degree on Condensed Matter and Materials Physics by the University of Bologna. Afterwards, he joined CIC nanoGUNE (San Sebastián, Spain) as a pre-doctoral researcher in 2017, in the framework of the EU-funded Innovative Training Network QuESTech to work on a PhD thesis related with Quantum Electronics Science Technology, Supervised by Ikerbasque Professor Luis Hueso. His thesis entitled “Probing and tuning the properties of van der Waals materials” has been awarded the prize for best experimental PhD thesis by the Condensed Matter Physics Division (GEFES) of the Spanish Royal Physics Society (RSEF). Currently, he is working as researcher at Kyoto University (Kyoto, Japan) in the group of Professor Masashi Shiraishi, funded by the Japanese Society for Promotion of Science (JSPS PostDoctoral fellow).



Share