Spin-polarized states in graphene

Today we look at an article about creating spin-polarized electron states in graphene. You might be familiar with the concept of polarization in the context of waves. There, the term refers to which direction a wave is oscillating:

Image credit: http://www.photonics.com/images/WebExclusive/Omega%20Optical/Fig-3.jpg

Spin-polarization means much the same thing: You have a stream of electrons whose spins are aligned in a common direction. (Another term for "spin-polarized" is "spin-helical.") Since spintronics technology requires the manipulation of individual electron spins, you can imagine how important it is to set up spin-polarized electron states in graphene!