Low spin-flip probability of Kondo scattering in Cu channels with dilute Fe impurities
Phys. Rev. B 113, 085141 – Published 24 February, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/kxbn-933y
Abstract
It is commonly accepted that the Kondo effect is associated with a substantial probability of spin flip owing to the antiferromagnetic exchange interaction. An accurate experimental determination of the Kondo spin flip probability is of fundamental interest. In this work, we determine this quantity by using nonlocal spin valves with nonmagnetic Cu channels that contain dilute magnetic Fe impurities. The measured spin flip probability is considerably lower than previously assumed and decreases from 0.14 ± 0.07 to 0.032 ± 0.007 as the Kondo resistivity increases from 0.61 nΩ cm to 8.7 nΩ cm. The findings are attributed to a cancellation effect from randomly oriented impurity spins within the spatial extent of the Kondo screening cloud.
