= Spin accumulation
{title2=$\delta\mu_s=\mu_\uparrow-\mu_\downarrow$}
<Spin accumulation> is a nonequilibrium imbalance between spin populations, often described by a difference of spin-dependent electrochemical potentials $\delta\mu_s=\mu_\uparrow-\mu_\downarrow$. A spin-polarized injected current can create such an imbalance even in a nonmagnetic conductor. Diffusion spreads it while spin relaxation tends to remove it, defining characteristic time and length scales. A transverse <magnetic field> makes the spin orientation precess and can change a detector signal, the principle of a <Hanle spin-precession measurement>. This nonequilibrium population is distinct from equilibrium magnetization or a charge-density accumulation.
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