Spin accumulation in metallic nanoparticles

The rapid development of spin electronics has emphasized the importance of spin accumulation to transport properties and spin manipulation for quantum computing. The latter requires sufficiently long spin-relaxation times, that may be achieved in nanometric particles. Spin accumulation is then expected to take place and strongly affect the transport properties of the particles. The main transport phenomena occurring in nanoparticles will be reviewed, as well as their interplay with spin accumulation. Recent experimental results confirming the theoretical predictions will also be presented. They show clear evidence of the enhancement of the spin-relaxation time in nanometric particles and are promising for the development of spin-electronics devices.