Observation of periodic π -phase shifts in ferromagnet-superconductor multilayers

We report complementary studies of the critical temperature and the critical current in ferromagnet (Ni) - superconductor (Nb) multilayers. The observed oscillatory behavior of both quantities upon variation of the thickness of the ferromagnetic layer is found to be in good agreement with theory. Th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review. B, Condensed matter and materials physics Condensed matter and materials physics, 2006-05, Vol.73 (17), Article 174506
Main Authors: Shelukhin, V., Tsukernik, A., Karpovski, M., Blum, Y., Efetov, K. B., Volkov, A. F., Champel, T., Eschrig, M., Löfwander, T., Schön, G., Palevski, A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Condensed Matter
Physics
Superconductivity
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Summary:We report complementary studies of the critical temperature and the critical current in ferromagnet (Ni) - superconductor (Nb) multilayers. The observed oscillatory behavior of both quantities upon variation of the thickness of the ferromagnetic layer is found to be in good agreement with theory. The length scale of oscillations is identical for both quantities and is set by the magnetic length corresponding to an exchange field of 200 meV in Ni. The consistency between the behavior of the two quantities provides strong evidence for periodic pi- phase shifts in these devices.
ISSN:1098-0121
1550-235X
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevB.73.174506