Electronic transport through quantum dots coupled to ferromagnetic leads: from Coulomb blockade to Kondo effect

Abstract Recent experiments on magnetic nanostructured materials revealed new phenomena related to the interplay of ferromagnetism and discrete charging effects. Typical example of such systems is a double ferromagnetic tunnel junction with a quantum dot as the central electrode. Interplay of charge and spin degrees of freedom in such systems is analyzed theoretically in the sequential tunneling, cotunneling and strong coupling regimes.