F. S. Bergeret

Hanle Magnetoresistance in Thin Metal Films with Strong Spin-Orbit Coupling.

We report measurements of a new type of magnetoresistance in Pt and Ta thin films. The spin accumulation created at the surfaces of the film by the spin Hall effect decreases in a magnetic field because of the Hanle effect, resulting in an increase of the electrical resistance as predicted by Dyakonov [Phys. Rev. Lett. 99, 126601 (2007)]. The angular dependence of this magnetoresistance resembles the recently discovered spin Hall magnetoresistance in Pt/Y(3)Fe(5)O(12) bilayers, although the presence of a ferromagnetic insulator is not required. We show that this Hanle magnetoresistance is an alternative simple way to quantitatively study the coupling between charge and spin currents in metals with strong spin-orbit coupling.

Predicted very large thermoelectric effect in ferromagnet-superconductor junctions in the presence of a spin-splitting magnetic field

A. Ozaeta, P. Virtanen, F.S. Bergeret, 3, 4 and T.T. Heikkilä Centro de F́ısica de Materiales (CFM-MPC), Centro Mixto CSIC-UPV/EHU, Manuel de Lardizabal 5, E-20018 San Sebastián, Spain Low Temperature Laboratory, Aalto University, P.O. Box 15100, FI-00076 AALTO, Finland Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC), Manuel de Lardizabal 5, E-20018 San Sebastián, Spain Institut für Physik, Carl von Ossietzky Universität, D-26111 Oldenburg, Germany (Dated: May 11, 2014)

Evidence for spin selectivity of triplet pairs in superconducting spin valves

Spin selectivity in a ferromagnet results from a difference in the density of up- and down-spin electrons at the Fermi energy as a consequence of which the scattering rates depend on the spin orientation of the electrons. This property is utilized in spintronics to control the flow of electrons by ferromagnets in a ferromagnet (F1)/normal metal (N)/ferromagnet (F2) spin valve, where F1 acts as the polarizer and F2 the analyser. The feasibility of superconducting spintronics depends on the spin sensitivity of ferromagnets to the spin of the equal spin-triplet Cooper pairs, which arise in superconductor (S)-ferromagnet (F) heterostructures with magnetic inhomogeneity at the S-F interface. Here we report a critical temperature dependence on magnetic configuration in current-in-plane F-S-F spin valves with a holmium spin mixer at the S-F interface providing evidence of a spin selectivity of the ferromagnets to the spin of the triplet Cooper pairs.

Scanning Tunneling Spectroscopy Study of the Proximity Effect in a Disordered Two-Dimensional Metal

The proximity effect between a superconductor and a highly diffusive two-dimensional metal is revealed in a scanning tunneling spectroscopy experiment. The inxa0situ elaborated samples consist of superconducting single crystalline Pb islands interconnected by a nonsuperconducting atomically thin disordered Pb wetting layer. In the vicinity of each superconducting island the wetting layer acquires specific tunneling characteristics which reflect the interplay between the proximity-induced superconductivity and the inherent electron correlations of this ultimate diffusive two-dimensional metal. The observed spatial evolution of the tunneling spectra is accounted for theoretically by combining the Usadel equations with the theory of dynamical Coulomb blockade; the relevant length and energy scales are extracted and found in agreement with available experimental data.

Revealing the magnetic proximity effect in EuS/Al bilayers through superconducting tunneling spectroscopy

A ferromagnetic insulator attached to a superconductor is known to induce an exchange splitting of the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) singularity by a magnitude proportional to the magnetization, and penetrating into the superconductor to a depth comparable with the superconducting coherence length. We study this long-range magnetic proximity effect in EuS/Al bilayers and find that the exchange splitting of the BCS peaks is present already in the unpolarized state of the ferromagnetic insulator (EuS), and is being further enhanced when magnetizing the sample by a magnetic field. The measurement data taken at the lowest temperatures feature a high contrast which has allowed us to relate the line shape of the split BCS conductance peaks to the characteristic magnetic domain structure of the EuS layer in the unpolarized state. These results pave the way to engineering triplet superconducting correlations at domain walls in EuS/Al bilayers. Furthermore, the hard gap and clear splitting observed in our tunneling spectroscopy measurements indicate that EuS/Al bilayers are excellent candidates for substituting strong magnetic fields in experiments studying Majorana bound states.

Long-Range Spin Accumulation from Heat Injection in Mesoscopic Superconductors with Zeeman Splitting

We describe far-from-equilibrium nonlocal transport in a diffusive superconducting wire with a Zeeman splitting, taking into account different spin relaxation mechanisms. We demonstrate that due to the Zeeman splitting, an injection of current in a superconducting wire creates spin accumulation that can only relax via thermalization. This effect leads to a long-range spin accumulation detectable in the nonlocal signal. Our model gives a qualitative explanation and provides accurate fits of recent experimental results in terms of realistic parameters.

Thermal rectification of electrons in hybrid normal metal-superconductor nanojunctions

We theoretically investigate heat transport in hybrid normal metal-superconductor (NS) nanojunctions focusing on the effect of thermal rectification. We show that the heat diode effect in the junction strongly depends on the transmissivity and the nature of the NS contact. Thermal rectification efficiency can reach up to 123% for a fully-transmissive ballistic junction and up to 84% in diffusive NS contacts. Both values exceed the rectification efficiency of a NIS tunnel junction (I stands for an insulator) by a factor close to 5 and 3, respectively. Furthermore, we show that for NS point-contacts with low transmissivity, inversion of the heat diode effect can take place. Our results could prove useful for tailoring heat management at the nanoscale, and for mastering thermal flux propagation in low-temperature caloritronic nanocircuitry.

Electronic transport through ferromagnetic and superconducting junctions with spin-filter tunneling barriers

We present a theoretical study of the quasiparticle and subgap conductance of generic X/Isf/SM junctions with a spin-filter barrier Isf ,w hereX is either a normal N or a ferromagnetic metal F and SM is a superconductor with a built-in exchange field. Our study is based on the tunneling Hamiltonian and the Green’s-function technique. First, we focus on the quasiparticle transport, both above and below the superconducting critical temperature. We obtain a general expression for the tunneling conductance which is valid for arbitrary values of the exchange field and arbitrary magnetization directions in the electrodes and in the spin-filter barrier. In the second part, we consider the subgap conductance of a N/Isf/S junction, where S is a conventional superconductor. In order to account for the spin-filter effect at interfaces, we heuristically derive boundary conditions for the quasiclassical Green’s functions. With the help of these boundary conditions, we show that the proximity effect and the subgap conductance are suppressed by spin filtering in a N/Isf/S junction. Our work provides useful tools for the study of spin-polarized transport in hybrid structures both in the normal and in the superconducting state.

The ω-SQUIPT as a tool to phase-engineer Josephson topological materials

E. Strambini,1, ∗ S. D’Ambrosio,1, ∗ F. Vischi,1 F. S. Bergeret,2, 3 Yu. V. Nazarov,4 and F. Giazotto1, † 1NEST Istituto Nanoscienze-CNR and Scuola Normale Superiore, I-56127 Pisa, Italy 2Centro de Fisica de Materiales (CFM-MPC), Centro Mixto CSIC-UPV/EHU, Manuel de Lardizabal 5, E-20018 San Sebastian, Spain 3Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC), Manuel de Lardizabal 5, E-20018 San Sebastian, Spain 4Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology,Lorentzweg 1,2628 CJ, Delft, The NetherlandsMulti-terminal superconducting Josephson junctions based on the proximity effect offer the opportunity to tailor non-trivial quantum states in nanoscale weak links. These structures can realize exotic topologies in several dimensions, for example, artificial topological superconductors that are able to support Majorana bound states, and pave the way to emerging quantum technologies and future quantum information schemes. Here we report the realization of a three-terminal Josephson interferometer based on a proximized nanosized weak link. Our tunnelling spectroscopy measurements reveal transitions between gapped (that is, insulating) and gapless (conducting) states that are controlled by the phase configuration of the three superconducting leads connected to the junction. We demonstrate the topological nature of these transitions: a gapless state necessarily occurs between two gapped states of different topological indices, in much the same way that the interface between two insulators of different topologies is necessarily conducting. The topological numbers that characterize such gapped states are given by superconducting phase windings over the two loops that form the Josephson interferometer. As these gapped states cannot be transformed to one another continuously without passing through a gapless condition, they are topologically protected. The same behaviour is found for all of the points of the weak link, confirming that this topology is a non-local property. Our observation of the gapless state is pivotal for enabling phase engineering of different and more sophisticated artificial topological materials.

Pb/InAs nanowire josephson junction with high critical current and magnetic flux focusing.

We have studied mesoscopic Josephson junctions formed by highly n-doped InAs nanowires and superconducting Ti/Pb source and drain leads. The current-voltage properties of the system are investigated by varying temperature and external out-of-plane magnetic field. Superconductivity in the Pb electrodes persists up to ∼7 K and with magnetic field values up to 0.4 T. Josephson coupling at zero backgate voltage is observed up to 4.5 K and the critical current is measured to be as high as 615 nA. The supercurrent suppression as a function of the magnetic field reveals a diffraction pattern that is explained by a strong magnetic flux focusing provided by the superconducting electrodes forming the junction.