ANGULAR VARIATION OF GIANT MAGNETORESISTANCE FOR CURRENT PERPENDICULAR TO THE PLANE OF THE LAYERS

We present a quantum-statistical theoretical model using the Kubo form alism to describe the current-perpendicular-to-the-plane magnetoresist ance (CPP-MR) of multilayers. The model deals particularly with noncol linear configurations of the magnetizations in successive layers. We c ompare the results of this model with an experimental investigation of the angular variation of the CPP-MR of (NiFe/Ag) multilayers. We conc lude that in noncollinear magnetic configurations, interference betwee n spin up and spin down electron waves give a contribution to the CPP- MR effect, and that mainly s-like electrons contribute to the CPP-MR.