Spin-polaronic effects in electric shuttling in a single molecule transistor with magnetic leads

Abstract Current–voltage characteristics of a spintromechanical device, in which spin-polarized electrons tunnel between magnetic leads with anti-parallel magnetization through a single level movable quantum dot, are calculated. New exchange- and electromechanical coupling-induced (spin-polaronic) effects that determine strongly nonlinear current–voltage characteristics were found. In the low-voltage regime of electron transport the voltage-dependent and exchange field-induced displacement of quantum dot towards the source electrode leads to nonmonotonic behavior of differential conductance that demonstrates the lifting of spin-polaronic effects by electric field. At high voltages the onset of electron shuttling results in the drop of current and negative differential conductance, caused by mechanically-induced increase of tunnel resistivities and exchange field-induced suppression of spin-flips in magnetic field. The dependence of these predicted spin effects on the oscillations frequency of the dot and the strength of electron–electron correlations is discussed.