We present a theoretical study based on the Anderson model of the transport properties of a Kondo impurity (atom or quantum dot) connected to ferromagnetic leads, which can sustain a nonequilibrium spin current. We analyze the case where the spin current is injected by an external source and when it is generated by the voltage bias. Due to the presence of ferromagnetic contacts, a static exchange field is produced that eventually destroys the Kondo correlations. We find that such a field can be compensated by an appropriated combination of the spin-dependent chemical potentials leading to the restoration of the Kondo resonance. In this respect, a Kondo impurity may be regarded as a very sensitive sensor for nonequilibrium spin phenomena.

• Received 18 July 2013

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.88.165403