Krzysztof P. Wójcik

Proximity effect on spin-dependent conductance and thermopower of correlated quantum dots

We study the electric and thermoelectric transport properties of correlated quantum dots coupled to two ferromagnetic leads and one superconducting electrode. Transport through such hybrid devices depends on the interplay of ferromagnetic-contact-induced exchange field, superconducting proximity effect, and correlations leading to the Kondo effect. We consider the limit of large superconducting gap. The system can be then modeled by an effective Hamiltonian with a particle-nonconserving term describing the creation and annihilation of Cooper pairs. By means of the full density-matrix numerical renormalization group method, we analyze the behavior of electrical and thermal conductances, as well as the Seebeck coefficient as a function of temperature, dot level position, and strength of the coupling to the superconductor. We show that the exchange field may be considerably affected by the superconducting proximity effect and is generally a function of Andreev bound-state energies. Increasing the coupling to the superconductor may raise the Kondo temperature and partially restore the exchangefield-split Kondo resonance. The competition between ferromagnetic and superconducting proximity effects is reflected in the corresponding temperature and dot level dependence of both the linear conductance and the (spin) thermopower.

Asymmetry-induced effects in Kondo quantum dots coupled to ferromagnetic leads

We study the spin-resolved transport through single-level quantum dots strongly coupled to ferromagnetic leads in the Kondo regime, with a focus on contact and material asymmetry-related effects. By using the numerical renormalization group method, we analyze the dependence of relevant spectral functions, the linear conductance and the tunnel magnetoresistance on the system asymmetry parameters. In the parallel magnetic configuration of the device the Kondo effect is generally suppressed due to the presence of an exchange field, irrespective of the systems asymmetry. In the antiparallel configuration, on the other hand, the Kondo effect can develop if the system is symmetric. We show that even relatively weak asymmetry may lead to suppression of the Kondo resonance in the antiparallel configuration and thus give rise to nontrivial behavior of the tunnel magnetoresistance. In addition, by using the second-order perturbation theory we derive general formulas for the exchange field in both magnetic configurations of the system.