Remotely induced magnetism in a normal metal using a superconducting spin-valve

A switchable induced magnetic moment in a non-magnetic metal that is separated from a ferromagnet by a thick superconducting layer contradicts existing models. Superconducting spintronics has emerged in the past decade as a promising new field that seeks to open a new dimension for nanoelectronics b...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature physics 2016-01, Vol.12 (1), p.57-61
Main Authors: Flokstra, M. G., Satchell, N., Kim, J., Burnell, G., Curran, P. J., Bending, S. J., Cooper, J. F. K., Kinane, C. J., Langridge, S., Isidori, A., Pugach, N., Eschrig, M., Luetkens, H., Suter, A., Prokscha, T., Lee, S. L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
639/766/119/1001
639/766/119/1003
639/766/119/997
Atomic
Classical and Continuum Physics
Complex Systems
Condensed Matter Physics
Cooper pairs
Devices
Double layer
Ferromagnetism
letter
Low energy
Magnetic fields
Magnetism
Magnetization
Mathematical and Computational Physics
Molecular
Optical and Plasma Physics
Physics
Superconductivity
Superconductors
Theoretical
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Summary:A switchable induced magnetic moment in a non-magnetic metal that is separated from a ferromagnet by a thick superconducting layer contradicts existing models. Superconducting spintronics has emerged in the past decade as a promising new field that seeks to open a new dimension for nanoelectronics by utilizing the internal spin structure of the superconducting Cooper pair as a new degree of freedom 1 , 2 . Its basic building blocks are spin-triplet Cooper pairs with equally aligned spins, which are promoted by proximity of a conventional superconductor to a ferromagnetic material with inhomogeneous macroscopic magnetization 3 . Using low-energy muon spin-rotation experiments we find an unanticipated effect, in contradiction with the existing theoretical models of superconductivity and ferromagnetism: the appearance of a magnetization in a thin layer of a non-magnetic metal (gold), separated from a ferromagnetic double layer by a 50-nm-thick superconducting layer of Nb. The effect can be controlled either by temperature or by using a magnetic field to control the state of the remote ferromagnetic elements, and may act as a basic building block for a new generation of quantum interference devices based on the spin of a Cooper pair.
ISSN:1745-2473
1745-2481
DOI:10.1038/nphys3486