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arXiv · 1208.5871

Spin-orbital coupling in a triplet superconductor-ferromagnet junction

Paola Gentile·Mario Cuoco·Alfonso Romano·Canio Noce·Dirk Manske·P. M. R. Brydon
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Abstract

We study a novel type of coupling between spin and orbital degrees of freedom which appears at triplet superconductor-ferromagnet interfaces. Using a self-consistent spatially-dependent mean-field theory, we show that increasing the angle between the ferromagnetic moment and the triplet vector order parameter enhances or suppresses the p-wave gap close to the interface, according as the gap antinodes are parallel or perpendicular to the boundary, respectively. The associated change in condensation energy establishes an orbitally-dependent preferred orientation for the magnetization. When both gap components are present, as in a chiral superconductor, we observe a first-order transition between different moment orientations as a function of the exchange field strength.

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Paola Gentile, Mario Cuoco, Alfonso Romano, Canio Noce, Dirk Manske, P. M. R. Brydon. 2012-08-29. Spin-orbital coupling in a triplet superconductor-ferromagnet junction. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.111.097003

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