Researchers of Keio University in Yokohama, Japan have explained the term "spin See beck effect".

See beck effect

See beck effect, a thermoelectric phenomenon discovered by Thomas Johann See beck in the 1800s. In the See beck effect, heating one side of a conducting rod causes electrons at that end to heat up and move toward the cooler side, creating a voltage.

Spin See beck effect

The spin See beck effect is similar, but affects electron spin, which is the quantum physics equivalent of north-south magnetic alignment. When heating a magnetized metal, such as the nickel-iron rod, the researchers found that electrons with up spins (aligned with the rod’s magnetic field) congregated on the warmer side, while electrons with down spins (unaligned) preferred the cooler side. Essentially, this spin-segregated rod now has two electrodes and serves as the basis for a new kind of battery that produces "spin voltage," or magnetic currents, which have been difficult to produce. With this tool, physicists can work toward developing more kinds of spintronics devices that store information magnetically. The spin See beck effect allows us to pass a pure spin current, a flow of electron spins without electric currents, over a long distance which will invigorate spintronics research.

Information storage

Magnetic information storage is inherently more efficient than storing information electronically because there is no waste heat. Unlike electrons that constantly bump into each other, flipping electron spins does not generate heat. Reducing waste heat could lead to computer chip miniaturization, and would also mean lower power consumption and faster operational speeds.