Manganese spin relaxation in ferromagnetic (Ga,Mn)As

A theory of spin relaxation of 3d(5)-electrons of manganese in (Ga, Mn) As, including ferromagnetic and paramagnetic phases, is presented. In manganese doped gallium arsenide, holes act in two ways: as carriers of magnetic interactions between manganese centers and as a channel for their spin relaxation. The strong spin-orbital interactions of the holes lead to short spin relaxation times and exchange interactions of the holes with the 3d(5)-electrons of manganese cause its rapid spin relaxation. This mechanism for spin relaxation of manganese predominates in the ferromagnetic phase, while the main mechanism for spin relaxation of Mn in the paramagnetic phase is through fluctuations in the hole spins. Published by AIP Publishing.