Non-local signal on Ag/Py spin-valve devices: beyond Hanle effect

In this talk we try to shed some light on recently observed enhancement of non-local spin signal in a lateral spin-valve system. Our proposed explanation is based on spin-flip scattering due to magnetic islands that form at the interface of the normal metal/ferromagnet interface. We model the spin-valve system using a circuit model that includes the interface spin-flip resistance. The spin-flip resistance can be related to a microscopic scattering rate due to the magnetic islands, which is then connected to the experimentally studied observable, i.e. the non-local resistance, via the network model. Our results seem to fit the experimental data reasonably well.