  Current induced switching in Co/Cu/Co trilayers is described in terms of
ab-initio determined magnetic twisting energies and corresponding sheet
resistances. In viewing the twisting energy as an energy flux the
characteristic time thereof is evaluated by means of the
Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation using ab-initio parameters. The obtained
switching times are in very good agreement with available experimental data. In
terms of the calculated currents, scalar quantities since a classical Ohm's law
is applied, critical currents needed to switch magnetic configurations from
parallel to antiparallel and vice versa can unambiguously be defined. It is
found that the magnetoresistance viewed as a function of the current is
essentially determined by the twisting energy as a function of the relative
angle between the orientations of the magnetization in the magnetic slabs,
which in turn can also explain in particular cases the fact that after having
switched off the current the system remains in the switched magnetic
configuration. For all ab-initio type calculations the fully relativistic
Screened Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker method and the corresponding Kubo-Greenwood
equation in the context of density functional theory are applied.
