John Slonczewski (1929–2019) was an American

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...

known for his work on spin dynamics in magnetic systems.

Biography

Slonczewski did his undergraduate education at the

Worcester Polytechnic Institute The Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) is a Private university, private research university in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1865, WPI was one of the United States' first engineering and technology universities and now h ...

in 1950 and started his PhD on "Band structure of Graphite" at

Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...

in 1958. He then joined the IBM Research center in

Yorktown, New York Yorktown is a town on the northern border of Westchester County, New York, United States. A suburb of the New York City metropolitan area, it is approximately north of midtown Manhattan. The population was 36,569 at the 2020 U.S. Census. Hist ...

as a staff researcher, where he stayed till his retirement in 2002. Slonczewski is known for his extensive theoretical study of magnetic system, in particular his applications of magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJ)s. In 1979, Slonczewski co-authored a book entitled "Magnetic Domain Walls in Bubble Materials: Advances in Materials and Device Research". In 1996 he published a highly influential paper in the field of

Spintronics Spintronics (a portmanteau meaning spin transport electronics), also known as spin electronics, is the study of the intrinsic spin of the electron and its associated magnetic moment, in addition to its fundamental electronic charge, in solid-st ...

, introducing the concept of

spin-transfer torque Spin-transfer torque (STT) is an effect in which the orientation of a magnetic layer in a magnetic tunnel junction or spin valve can be modified using a spin-polarized current. Charge carriers (such as electrons) have a property known as spin ...

, showing that spin polarized currents could be used to control the magnetization direction of magnetic electrodes in magnetic multilayers. In 2012, Slonczewski received the IEEE Magnetics Society achievement award. Along with Luc Berger, he was awarded the 2013

Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize The Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize is an annual award given by the American Physical Society "to recognize and encourage outstanding theoretical or experimental contributions to condensed matter physics." It was endowed by AT&T Bell Labor ...

by the

American Physical Society The American Physical Society (APS) is a not-for-profit membership organization of professionals in physics and related disciplines, comprising nearly fifty divisions, sections, and other units. Its mission is the advancement and diffusion of ...

"for predicting spin-transfer torque and opening the field of current-induced control over magnetic nanostructures."

Biography

References

Further reading