Abstract
A topical and highly promising aspect of the field of spintronics is the physics involved in the flow of a spin-polarized current through magnetic tunnel structures. This review focuses on manganite-based structures, which are appealing for their high Curie temperature, highly spin-polarized conduction electrons, high chemical stability, and well-developed fabrication technology. Particular emphasis is placed on some novel approaches to studying the tunnel structures, including the use of planar geometry and the application of combined external factors (microwave and optical radiation) to investigate spin-polarized transport.