A1 Journal article (refereed)
Superconducting Triplet Rim Currents in a Spin-Textured Ferromagnetic Disk (2022)

Fermin, R., van Dinter, D., Hubert, M., Woltjes, B., Silaev, M., Aarts, J., & Lahabi, K. (2022). Superconducting Triplet Rim Currents in a Spin-Textured Ferromagnetic Disk. Nano Letters, 22(6), 2209-2216. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.1c04051

JYU authors or editors

Silaev, Mikhail

Publication details

All authors or editors: Fermin, Remko; van Dinter, Dyon; Hubert, Michel; Woltjes, Bart; Silaev, Mikhail; Aarts, Jan; Lahabi, Kaveh

Journal or series: Nano Letters

ISSN: 1530-6984

eISSN: 1530-6992

Publication year: 2022

Publication date: 03/03/2022

Volume: 22

Issue number: 6

Pages range: 2209-2216

Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)

Publication country: United States

Publication language: English

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.1c04051

Publication open access: Openly available

Publication channel open access: Partially open access channel

Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/80191

Abstract

Since the discovery of the long-range superconducting proximity effect, the interaction between spin-triplet Cooper pairs and magnetic structures such as domain walls and vortices has been the subject of intense theoretical discussions, while the relevant experiments remain scarce. We have developed nanostructured Josephson junctions with highly controllable spin texture, based on a disk-shaped Nb/Co bilayer. Here, the vortex magnetization of Co and the Cooper pairs of Nb conspire to induce long-range triplet (LRT) superconductivity in the ferromagnet. Surprisingly, the LRT correlations emerge in highly localized (sub-80 nm) channels at the rim of the ferromagnet, despite its trivial band structure. We show that these robust rim currents arise from the magnetization texture acting as an effective spin–orbit coupling, which results in spin accumulation at the bilayer–vacuum boundary. Lastly, we demonstrate that by altering the spin texture of a single ferromagnet, both 0 and π channels can be realized in the same device.

Keywords: superconductors; superconductivity; nanotechnology; magnetism; physics