Spin-memory effect and negative magnetoresistance in hopping conductivity

Oded Agam, Igor L. Aleiner, Boris Spivak

Published 2013-12-20, updated 2014-03-18Version 2

We propose a mechanism for negative isotropic magnetoresistance in the hopping regime. It results from a memory effect encrypted into spin correlations that are not taken into account by the conventional theory of hopping conductivity. The spin correlations are generated by the nonequilibrium electric currents and lead to the decrease of the conductivity. The application of the magnetic field destroys the correlations thus enhancing the conductance. This effect can occur even at magnetic fields as small as a few gauss.