We study the Josephson effect in spin-triplet superconductor$-$quantum anomalous Hall insulator$-$spin-triplet superconductor junctions using the nonequilibrium Green function method. The current-phase difference relations show strong dependence on the orientations of the $\bf{d}$-vectors in superconductors. We focus on two $\bf{d}$-vector configurations, the parallel one with the left and right ${\bf{d}}$-vectors being in the same direction, and the nonparallel one with the left ${\bf{d}}$-vector fixed at the $z$-axis. For the parallel configuration, the $0$-$π$ transition can be realized when one rotates the ${\bf{d}}$-vectors from the parallel to the junction plane to the perpendicular direction. The $ϕ_{0}$ phase with nonzero Josephson current at zero phase difference can be obtained as long as ${d_{x}}{d_{z}}\ne0$. For the nonparallel configuration, the $0$-$π$ transition and the $ϕ_{0}$ phase still exist. The condition for the formation of the $ϕ_{0}$ phase becomes $d_{Rx}\ne0$. The switch effects of the Josephson current are found in both configurations when the ${\bf{d}}$-vectors are rotated in the $xy$ plane. Furthermore, the symmetries satisfied by the current-phase difference relations are analysed in details by the operations of the time-reversal, mirror-reflections, the spin-rotation and the gauge transformation, which can well explain the above selection rules for the $ϕ_{0}$ phase. Our results reveal the peculiar Josephson effect between spin-triplet superconductors and the quantum anomalous Hall insulator, which provide helpful phases and effects for the device designs. The distinct current-phase difference relations for different orientations may be used to determine the direction of the ${\bf{d}}$-vector in the spin-triplet superconductor.
We study the Josephson current through a ferromagnetic trilayer, both in the diffusive and clean limits. For colinear (parallel or antiparallel) magnetizations in the layers, the Josephson current is small due to short range proximity effect in superconductor/ferromagnet structures. For non colinear magnetizations, we determine the conditions for the Josephson current to be dominated by another contribution originating from long range triplet proximity effect.
It has been predicted theoretically that an unconventional odd-frequency spin-triplet component of superconducting order parameter can be induced in multilayered ferromagnetic structures with non-collinear magnetization. In this work we study experimentally nano-scale devices, in which a ferromagnetic spin valve is embedded into a Josephson junction. We demonstrate two ways of in-situ analysis of such Josephson spin valves: via magnetoresistance measurements and via in-situ magnetometry based on flux quantization in the junction. We observe that supercurrent through the device depends on the r…
We study a singlet-triplet Josephson junction between a conventional s-wave superconductor and an unconventional p$_{\rm x}$-wave superconductor. The Andreev spectrum of the junction yields a spontaneous magnetization in equilibrium. This allows manipulating the occupation of the Andreev levels using an ac Zeeman field. The induced Rabi oscillations manifest themselves as a resonance in the current-phase relation. For a circularly polarized magnetic field, we find a spin selection rule, yielding Rabi oscillations only in a certain interval of the superconducting phase difference.
A stationary Josephson effect in a weak-link between misorientated nonunitary triplet superconductors is investigated theoretically. The non-self-consistent quasiclassical Eilenberger equation for this system has been solved analytically. As an application of this analytical calculation, the current-phase diagrams are plotted for the junction between two nonunitary bipolar $f-$wave superconducting banks. A spontaneous current parallel to the interface between superconductors has been observed. Also, the effect of misorientation between crystals on the Josephson and spontaneous currents is stud…
We predict a novel type of Josephson effect to occur in triplet superconductor - ferromagnet - triplet superconductor Josephson junctions. We show that the Josephson current, I_J, exhibits a rich dependence on the relative orientation between the ferromagnetic moment and the d-vectors of the superconductors. This dependence can be used to build several types of Josephson current switches. Moreover, we predict an unconventional temperature dependence of I_J in which I_J changes sign with increasing temperature
The Josephson current through a long s-wave superconductor/weak ferromagnet/s-wave superconductor weak link is studied theoretically in the regime of nonequilibrium spin-dependent occupation of electron states in the ferromagnetic intelayer. While under the considered nonequilibrium condition the standard supercurrent, carried by the singlet part of current-carrying density of states, is not modified, the additional supercurrent flowing via the triplet part of the current-carrying density of states appears. Depending on voltage, controlling the particular form of spin-dependent nonequilibrium …
Dynamical Josephson Effect Between a Singlet and a Triplet Superconductor
Norwegian University of Science and Technology（挪威科技大学）；Imperial College London（伦敦帝国理工学院）；University at Buffalo, State University of New York（纽约州立大学布法罗分校）
We investigate anomalous Hall effect in a magnet coupled to a triplet superconductor under phase gradient. It is found that the anomalous Hall supercurrent arises from non-trivial structure of the magnetization. The magnetic structure manifested in the Hall supercurrent is characterized by even order terms of the exchange coupling, essentially different from that discussed in the context of anomalous Hall effect, reflecting the disspationless nature of supercurrent. We also discuss a possible candidate for magnetic structure to verify our prediction.
The Josephson effect between triplet and singlet superconductors is studied. Josephson current can flow between triplet and singlet superconductors due to the spin-orbit coupling in the spin-triplet superconductor but it is finite only when triplet superconductor has $L_z=-S_z=\pm 1$, where $L_z$ and $S_z$ are the perpendicular components of orbital angular momentum and spin angular momentum of the triplet Cooper pairs, respectively. The recently observed temperature and orientational dependence of the critical current through a Josephson junction between UPt$_3$ and Nb is investigated by cons…
In the past year, several groups have observed evidence for long-range spin-triplet supercurrent in Josephson junctions containing ferromagnetic (F) materials. In our work, the spin-triplet pair correlations are created by non-collinear magnetizations between a central Co/Ru/Co "synthetic antiferromagnet" (SAF) and two outer thin F layers. Here we present data showing that the spin-triplet supercurrent is enhanced up to 20 times after our samples are subject to a large in-plane magnetizing field. This surprising result can be explained if the Co/Ru/Co SAF undergoes a "spin-flop" transition, wh…
We consider a SFS Josephson junction made of two superconductors S and a multidomain ferromagnet F with an in-plane magnetization. We assume that the neighboring domains of the ferromagnet are separated by Neel domain walls. An odd-frequency triplet long-range component of superconducting correlations arises in the domain walls and spreads into the domains over a long distance of the order $ξ_T = \sqrt{D / 2 πT}$, where $D$ is the diffusion coefficient (dirty limit is implied). We calculate the contribution of this component to the Josephson current in the situation when conventional short-ran…
Josephson junctions and superconducting wires when probed with current pulses exhibit stochastic switching from superconducting to a stable non-zero voltage state. Electrical current dependence of the switching probability (so called S-curve) or switching current distribution is a fingerprint of the physics governing the escape process. This work addresses the criterion of independent switching event in a series of switching experiments. Treating Josephson junction as an electrical coin with current-tuned switching probability we investigate effect of correlation between switching events on th…
We have measured a long-range supercurrent in Josephson junctions containing Co (a strong ferromagnetic material) when we insert thin layers of either PdNi or CuNi weakly-ferromagnetic alloys between the Co and the two superconducting Nb electrodes. The critical current in such junctions hardly decays for Co thicknesses in the range of 12-28 nm, whereas it decays very steeply in similar junctions without the alloy layers. The long-range supercurrent is controllable by the thickness of the alloy layer, reaching a maximum for a thickness of a few nm. These experimental observations provide stron…
In this work, we systematically study two phases, called Andreev $π$-phase and orbital-phase, and their influence on the Josephson effect. When the system is time-reversal invariant and centrosymmetric, these two phases only appear in the odd-parity pairings. The Andreev $π$-phase has nothing to do with the specific form of the odd-parity pairings and means an intrinsic $π$-phase between the spin-triplet Cooper pairs entering and leaving CTSCs in the Andreev reflections. The orbital-phase corresponds to the phase difference between the spin-triplet Cooper pairs with opposite spin polarization …
The order parameter of superconducting pairs penetrating an inhomogeneous magnetic material can acquire a long range triplet component (LRTC) with non-zero spin projection. This state has been predicted and generated recently in proximity systems and Josephson junctions. We show using an analytically derived domain wall of an exchange spring how the LRTC emerges and can be tuned with the twisting of the magnetization. We also introduce a new kind of Josephson current reversal, the triplet $0-π$ transition, that can be observed in one and the same system either by tuning the domain wall or by v…
We show that injecting nonequilibrium spins into the superconducting leads strongly enhances the stationary Josephson current through a superconductor-ferromagnet-superconductor junction. The resulting long-range super-current through a ferromagnet is carried by triplet Cooper pairs that are formed in s-wave superconductors by the combined effects of spin injection and exchange interaction. We quantify the exchange interaction in terms of Landau Fermi-liquid factors. The magnitude and direction of the long-range Josephson current can be manipulated by varying the angles of the injected polariz…
Josephson junctions containing multiple ferromagnetic layers can carry spin-triplet supercurrent under certain conditions. Large-area junctions containing multiple domains are expected to have a random distribution of 0 or pi coupling across the junction surface, whereas magnetized samples should have uniquely pi coupling everywhere. We have measured the area dependence of the critical current in such junctions, and confirm that the critical current scales linearly with area in magnetized junctions. For as-grown (multi-domain) samples, the results are mixed. Samples grown on a thick Nb base ex…
We study AC Josephson effect in a superconductor-ferromagnet heterostructure with a variable magnetic configuration. The system supports triplet proximity correlations whose dynamics is coupled to the magnetic dynamics. This feedback dramatically modifies the behavior of the junction. The current-phase relation becomes double-periodic at both very low and high Josephson frequencies $ω_J$. At intermediate frequencies, the periodicity in $ω_J t$ may be lost.
We study the critical Josephson current flowing through a double quantum dot weakly coupled to two superconducting leads. We use analytical as well as numerical methods to investigate this setup in the limit of small and large bandwidth leads in all possible charging states, where we account for on-site interactions exactly. Our results provide clear signatures of nonlocal spin-entangled pairs, which support interpretations of recent experiments [Deacon, R. S. et al., Nat. Commun. 6, 7446 (2015)]. In addition, we find that the ground state with one electron on each quantum dot can undergo a tu…
We examine a Josephson junction involving two arbitrary equal-spin-pairing unitary triplet superconductors and a ferromagnetic tunneling barrier. Using perturbation theory, we show how the interaction of the barrier moment with the spin of the tunneling triplet Cooper pairs can reverse the sign of the Josephson charge current. This also results in a Josephson spin current, which contains a phase-independent contribution due to reflection processes at the barrier. We verify our analytic predictions using a non-perturbative Bogoliubov-de Gennes method.
We study the Josephson current through a long ferromagnetic bilayer in the diffusive regime. For non-collinear magnetizations, we find that the current-phase relation is dominated by its second harmonic, which corresponds to the long-range coherent propagation of two triplet pairs of electrons.
In 2010, several experimental groups obtained compelling evidence for spin-triplet supercurrent in Josephson junctions containing strong ferromagnetic materials. Our own best results were obtained from large-area junctions containing a thick central Co/Ru/Co "synthetic antiferromagnet" and two thin outer layers made of Ni or PdNi alloy. Because the ferromagnetic layers in our samples are multi-domain, one would expect the sign of the local current-phase relation inside the junctions to vary randomly as a function of lateral position. Here we report measurements of the area dependence of the cr…
We study experimentally nanoscale Josephson junctions and Josephson spin-valves containing strong Ni ferromagnets. We observe that in contrast to junctions, spin valves with the same geometry exhibit anomalous Ic(H) patterns with two peaks separated by a dip. We develop several techniques for in-situ characterization of micromagnetic states in our nano-devices, including magnetoresistance, absolute Josephson fluxometry and First-Order-Reversal-Curves analysis. They reveal a clear correlation of the dip in supercurrent with the antiparallel state of a spin-valve and the peaks with two noncollin…
Control of the Josephson current by varying a gate current has recently been demonstrated in both 4-terminal and 3-terminal junctions. We show that, when the the gates are weakly coupled to the Josephson junction, the Josephson current versus gate current (or versus gate voltage) relation is the same for both the 4- and 3- terminal geometries. At low temperature, the supercurrent switches abruptly as a function of the gate voltage, but only slowly as a function of the gate current.
The Josephson current between an s-wave and a spin-triplet superconductor Sr$_2$RuO$_4$ (SRO) is studied theoretically. In spin-singlet / spin-triplet superconductor junctions, there is no Josephson current proportional to $\sin ϕ$ in the absence of the spin-flip scattering near junction interfaces, where $ϕ$ is a phase-difference across junctions. Thus a dominant term of the Josephson current is proportional to $\sin 2ϕ$ . The spin-orbit scattering at the interfaces gives rise to the Josephson current proportional to $\cosϕ$, which is a direct consequence of the chiral paring symmetry in SRO.
We calculate the electrical currents through a superconductor - insulator - superconductor junction which is also weakly coupled to a normal metal side probe. The voltage $V$ applied to the normal metal terminal controls the occupation of Andreev energy levels $E_n$, and therefore controls the Josephson current flowing through these levels. Whenever the probe voltage crosses an Andreev level, the Josephson current changes abruptly by an amount equal to the current flowing through the Andreev level. The differential conductance along the normal metal terminal permits spectroscopy of the Andreev…
We study theoretically the Josephson effect and pairing correlations in planar SF1F2S junctions that consist of conventional superconductors (S) connected by two metallic monodomain ferromagnets (F1 and F2) with transparent interfaces. We obtain both spin-singlet and -triplet pair amplitudes and the Josephson current-phase relations for arbitrary orientation of the magnetizations using the self-consistent solutions of Eilenberger equations in the clean limit and for a moderate disorder in ferromagnets. We find that the long-range spin-triplet correlations cannot prevail in symmetric junctions …
The induced magnetic moment, provided by the bands electrons, is calculated in a variety of Josephson junctions with multilayered ferromagnetic (F) weak link. The noncollinear magnetization of the F layers provides the conditions necessary to generate triplet superconducting correlations. It leads to the long-range induced magnetic moment, emerging in the superconducting (S) layers. It is shown to be dependent on the Josephson phase. By tuning the Josephson current, one may control the long-range induced magnetic moment. Alternatively, applying the voltage we can generate an oscillatory magnet…
This paper theoretically discusses the spin current in spin-triplet superconductor / insulator / spin-triplet superconductor junctions. At low temperatures, a midgap Andreev resonant state anomalously enhances not only the charge current but also the spin current. The coupling between the Cooper pairs and the electromagnetic fields leads to the Frounhofer pattern in the direct current spin flow in magnetic fields and the alternative spin current under applied bias-voltages.
We study the Andreev bound states in a Josephson junction between a singlet and a triplet superconductors. Because of the mismatch in the spin symmetries of pairing, the energies of the spin up and down quasiparticles are generally different. This results in imbalance of spin populations and net spin accumulation at the junction in equilibrium. This effect can be detected using probes of local magnetic field, such as the scanning SQUID, Hall, and Kerr probes. It may help to identify potential triplet pairing in $\rm(TMTSF)_2X$, $\rm Sr_2RuO_4$, and oxypnictides.
We theoretically predict proximity-induced odd-frequency (odd-$ω$) pairing on the surface of a Weyl nodal loop semimetal, characterized by a nodal loop Fermi surface and drumhead-like surface states (DSSs), attached to conventional spin-singlet $s$-wave superconducting leads. Due to the complete spin polarization of the DSS, odd-$ω$ equal-spin triplet pairing is present, and we show that it gives rise to a finite Josephson current. Placing an additional ferromagnet in the junction can also generate odd-$ω$ mixed-spin triplet pairing, but the pairing and current is not affected if the magnetiza…
We consider transport through a Josephson junction consisting of a conventional s-wave superconductor coupled via a double quantum dot to a noncentrosymmetric superconductor with both, singlet and triplet pairing. We calculate the Andreev bound state energies and the associated Josephson current. We demonstrate that the current-phase relation is a sensitive probe of the singlet-triplet ratio in the noncentrosymmetric superconductor. In particular, in the presence of an inhomogeneous magnetic field the system exhibits a $φ$-junction behavior.
Serial double quantum dots created in semiconductor nanostructures provide a versatile platform for investigating two-electron spin quantum states, which can be tuned by electrostatic gating and an external magnetic field. In this work, we directly measure the supercurrent reversal between adjacent charge states of an InAs nanowire double quantum dot with superconducting leads, in good agreement with theoretical models. In the even charge parity sector, we observe a supercurrent blockade with increasing magnetic field, corresponding to the spin singlet to triplet transition. Our results demons…
Charge and spin transport in a junction involving two triplet superconductors and a ferromagnetic barrier are studied. We use Bogoliubov-de Gennes wavefunctions to construct the Green's function, from which we obtain the Josephson currents in terms of the Andreev reflection coefficients. We focus on the consequences of a finite barrier width for the occurrence of 0-πtransitions and for the spin currents, and examine the appropriateness of the common δ-function approximation for the tunneling region.
It has been proposed that intermittent weak links between spontaneously broken symmetry systems can give rise to a novel type of time crystal. Here a practical construction is analyzed in greater detail. For a film-geometry Josephson junction, an applied magnetic field in the junction region can effectively switch on and off the supercurrent. By tuning experimental parameters, one can possibly let the free energy be arbitrarily close to the equilibrium without compromising the life time. A parallel construction for superfluid $^4$He is also proposed.
Josephson junctions made with conventional s-wave superconductors and containing multiple layers of ferromagnetic materials can carry spin-triplet supercurrent in the presence of certain types of magnetic inhomogeneity. In junctions containing three ferromagnetic layers, the triplet supercurrent is predicted to be maximal when the magnetizations of adjacent layers are orthogonal, and zero when the magnetizations of any two adjacent layers are parallel. Here we demonstrate on-off control of the spin-triplet supercurrent in such junctions, achieved by rotating the magnetization direction of one …
We propose theoretically a thermal switch operating by the magnetic-flux controlled diffraction of phase-coherent heat currents in a thermally biased Josephson junction based on a two-dimensional topological insulator. For short junctions, the system shows a sharp switching behavior while for long junctions the switching is smooth. Physically, the switching arises from the Doppler shift of the superconducting condensate due to screening currents induced by a magnetic flux. We suggest a possible experimental realization that exhibits a relative temperature change of 40\% between the on and off …
Josephson junctions with s-wave superconductors (S) and multiple ferromagnetic (F) layers carry spin-triplet supercurrents in the presence of magnetically inhomogeneous spin-mixer interfaces. Here, we report magnetic Josephson junctions with exchange-spring and double exchange-spring ("spin-mixer") Co/Py interfaces. At the Co/Py interface, exchange coupling is strong with respect to the magnetic anisotropy of Py and so, depending on the direction and magnitude of an external magnetic field, a non-collinear magnetic structure forms in Py creating the necessary magnetic inhomogeneity for singlet…
Motivated by a recent experiment evidencing triplet superconductivity in a ferromagnetic Josephson junction with a Cu$_2$MnAl-Heusler barrier, we construct a theoretical model accounting for this observation. The key ingredients in our model which generate the triplet supercurrent are \textit{spin-active zones}, characterised by an effective canted interface magnetic moment. Using a numerical solution of the quasiclassical equations of superconductivity with spin-active boundary conditions, we find qualitatively very good agreement with the experimentally observed supercurrent. Further experim…
Charge and spin Josephson currents in a ballistic superconductor-ferromagnet-superconductor junction with spin-triplet pairing symmetry are studied using the quasiclassical Eilenberger equation. The gap vector of superconductors has an arbitrary relative angle with respect to magnetization of the ferromagnetic layer. We clarify the effects of the thickness of ferromagnetic layer and magnitude of the magnetization on the Josephson charge and spin currents. We find that 0-πtransition can occur except for the case that the exchange field and d-vector are in nearly perpendicular configuration. We …
We study the Josephson effect of a $\rm{T_1 F T_2}$ junction, consisting of spin-triplet superconductors (T), a weak ferromagnetic metal (F), and ferromagnetic insulating interfaces. Two types of the triplet order parameters are considered; $(k_x +ik_y)\hat{z}$ and $k_x \hat{x}+k_y\hat{y}$. We compute the current density in the ballistic limit by using the generalized quasiclassical formalism developed to take into account the interference effect of the multilayered ferromagnetic junction. We discuss in detail how the current-phase relation is affected by orientations of the d-vectors of super…
We discuss the behavior of a two-level system coupled to a quantum dot contacted by superconducting source/drain electrodes, representing a simple model for the conformational degree of freedom of a molecular dot or a break junction. The Josephson current is shown to induce conformational changes, including a complete reversal. For small bias voltage, periodic conformational motions induced by Landau-Zener transitions between Andreev states are predicted.
We show that the Josephson effect between triplet superconductors is sensitive to the relative orientation of the d-vectors across the junction. In addition, we point out that the temperature and angular dependence of the Josephson effect can help distinguish between different order parameter symmetries. We discuss coherent and incoherent tunneling processes, and the role of surface bound states within the framework of non-local lattice Bogoliubov-deGennes equations.
We propose and analyze a mesoscopic Josephson junction consisting of two ferromagnetic insulator-superconductors (FI-Ss) coupled through a normal metal (N) layer. The Josephson current of the junction is non-trivially affected by the spin-splitting field induced by the FIs in the two superconductors. In particular, it shows sizeable enhancement by increasing the amplitude of the exchange field ($h_{ex}$) and displays a switchable current-phase relation which depends on the relative orientation of $h_{ex}$ in the FIs. In a realistic EuS/Al-based setup this junction can be exploited as a high-re…
We study the voltage noise properties including the switching rates and statistics of phase-slips in moderately damped Josephson junctions using a novel efficient numerical approach combining the matrix continued-fraction method with the full counting statistics. By analyzing the noise results obtained for the RCSJ model we identify different dominating components, namely the thermal noise close to equilibrium (small current-bias regime), the shot noise of (multiple) phase-slips in the intermediate range of biases and the switching noise for yet higher bias currents. We extract thus far inacce…
We study the appearance of a Josephson spin current in a model triplet superconductor junction with a magnetically-active tunnelling barrier. We find three distinct mechanisms for producing a spin current, and we provide a detailed discussion of the symmetry properties and the physical origins of each. By combining these three basic mechanisms, we find that it is possible to exercise fine control over the spin currents. In particular, we show that unlike the charge current, the spin currents on either side of the barrier need not be identical.
We investigate the DC Josephson effect in a superconductor-normal metal-superconductor junction where the normal region consists of a ballistic ring. We show that a fully controllable $π$-junction can be realized through the electro-magnetostatic Aharonov-Bohm effect in the ring. The sign and the magnitude of the supercurrent can be tuned by varying the magnetic flux and the gate voltage applied to one arm, around suitable values. The implementation in a realistic set-up is discussed.
We study the long-range triplet Josephson current in a clean junction composed of two s-wave superconductors and a normal-metal/ferromagnet/normal-metal trilayer. Through applying the bias voltages on the metal regions by two antiparallel half-metal electrodes, we show that the amplitude and direction of this long-range current can be controlled easily and flexibly. Such current arises from the fact that the applied voltage can produce a nonequilibrium spin-dependent quasiparticle distribution in the metal regions so that the Cooper pairs acquire an extra momenta, which will lead to a spin-fli…
We have studied Josephson junctions with barriers prepared from the Heusler compound Cu$_2$MnAl. In the as-prepared state the Cu$_2$MnAl layers are non ferromagnetic and the critical Josephson current density $j_{c}$ decreases exponentially with the thickness of the Heusler layers $d_{F}$. On annealing the junctions at 240\degree C the Heusler layers develop ferromagnetic order and we observe a dependence $j_{c}(d_{F}$) with $j_{c}$ strongly enhanced and weakly thickness dependent in the thickness range 7.0 nm < $d_{F}$ < 10.6 nm. We attribute this feature to a triplet component in the superco…
Contacting a bilayer ferromagnet with a singlet even-frequency superconductor allows for the realization of an effective triplet odd-frequency superconductor. In this work, we investigate the Josephson effect between superconductors with different symmetries (e.g. odd- versus even-frequency). In particular, we study the supercurrent flowing between two triplet odd-frequency superconducting leads through a weak singlet even-frequency superconductor. We show that the peculiar temperature dependence of the critical current below the superconducting transition of the weak superconductor is a signa…
We study the Josephson effect in a triplet superconductor--ferromagnet--singlet superconductor junction. We show that the interaction of tunneling Cooper pairs with the interface magnetization can permit a Josephson current at the lowest order of a tunneling Hamiltonian perturbation theory. Two conditions must be satisfied for this to occur: the magnetization of the ferromagnet has a component parallel to the ${\bf d}$-vector of the triplet superconductor, and the gaps of the superconductors have the same parity with respect to the interface momentum. The resulting charge current displays an u…
We have investigated the Josephson coupling between two s-wave superconductors separated by the ferromagnetic trilayers with noncollinear magnetization. We find that the long-range triplet critical current will oscillate with the strength of the exchange field and the thickness of the interface layer, when the interface magnetizations are orthogonal to the central magnetization. This feature is induced by the spatial oscillations of the spin-triplet state |\uparrow\downarrow>+|\downarrow\uparrow> in the interface layer. Moreover, the critical current can exhibit a characteristic nonmonotonic b…
The study of superconductor-ferromagnet interfaces has generated great interest in the last decades, leading to the observation of spin-aligned triplet supercurrents and 0-pi transitions in Josephson junctions where two superconductors are separated by an itinerant ferromagnet. Recently, spin-filter Josephson junctions with ferromagnetic barriers have shown unique transport properties, when compared to standard metallic ferromagnetic junctions, due to the intrinsically nondissipative nature of the tunneling process. Here we present the first extensive characterization of spin polarized Josephs…
We predict that the amplitude of the Josephson current through an antiferromagnetic weak link changes by several orders of magnitude upon rotation of the Néel order parameter characterizing the staggered magnetic order. This occurs due the presence of spin-orbit coupling arising from structural inversion asymmetry which makes the band gap in the antiferromagnet highly sensitive to the staggered order parameter direction. We also demonstrate that when phase-biasing the junction, magnetization dynamics is induced which switches the direction of the Néel vector in the antiferromagnet. These resul…
