Motivated by recent experimental studies of thin-film devices containing a single ferromagnetic layer, we develop a quantum kinetic theory of current-induced magnetic torques in Rashba-model ferromagnets. We find that the current-induced spin densities, responsible for the switching behavior, are due most essentially to spin-dependent quasiparticle lifetimes and derive analytic expressions for relevant limits of a simple model. Quantitative model parameter estimates suggest that spin-orbit coupling in the adjacent metal normal magnetic layer must play an essential role in the strength of the switching effect.

• Received 31 January 2012

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.86.014416