How does GMR relate to modern spintronics?
GMR is the foundation of spintronics, which uses the electron’s spin—its intrinsic magnetic moment—alongside its charge. In my 1988 experiment, we showed that spin alignment in magnetic layers controls electrical resistance, a purely spin-based effect. Today, spintronics goes far beyond: think of magnetic tunnel junctions in MRAM, which store data without power, or spin-transfer torque that switches magnetization with current. The beauty of physics is in the details—we were just curious about what would happen with thin films, and now it’s a whole field. A good measurement is worth a thousand theories: GMR proved that spin can be manipulated in devices, leading to faster, more efficient electronics. It’s a direct line from my lab in Jülich to the chips in your computer.
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