arXiv subjects

Ya. V. Fominov

Publications and source records attributed to Ya. V. Fominov.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2013

Peculiarities of performance of the spin valve for the superconducting current

The spin valve effect for the superconducting current based on the superconductor/ferromagnet proximity effect has been studied for a CoO_x/Fe1/Cu/Fe2/Cu/Pb multilayer. The magnitude of the effect $ΔT_c$ = T_c^{AP} - T_c^{P}, where T_c^{P} and T_c^{AP} are the superconducting transition temperatures for the parallel (P) and antiparallel (AP) orientation of magnetizations, respectively, has been measured for different thicknesses of the Fe1 layer d_{Fe1}. The obtained dependence of the effect on d_{Fe1} reveals that $ΔT_c$ can be increased in comparison with the case of a half-infinite Fe1 layer considered by the previous theory. A maximum of the spin valve effect occurs at d_{Fe1} ~ d_{Fe2}. At the optimal value of d_{Fe1}, almost full switching from the normal to the superconducting state when changing the mutual orientation of magnetizations of the iron layers Fe1 and Fe2 from P to AP is demonstrated.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2012

Evidence for Triplet Superconductivity in a Superconductor-Ferromagnet Spin Valve

We have studied the dependence of the superconducting (SC) transition temperature on the mutual orientation of magnetizations of Fe1 and Fe2 layers in the spin valve system CoO_x/Fe1/Cu/Fe2/Pb. We find that this dependence is nonmonotonic when passing from the parallel to the antiparallel case and reveals a distinct minimum near the orthogonal configuration. The analysis of the data in the framework of the SC triplet spin valve theory gives direct evidence for the long-range triplet superconductivity arising due to noncollinearity of the two magnetizations.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2012

Hybridization of wave functions in one-dimensional localization

A quantum particle can be localized in a disordered potential, the effect known as Anderson localization. In such a system, correlations of wave functions at very close energies may be described, due to Mott, in terms of a hybridization of localized states. We revisit this hybridization description and show that it may be used to obtain quantitatively exact expressions for some asymptotic features of correlation functions, if the tails of the wave functions and the hybridization matrix elements are assumed to have log-normal distributions typical for localization effects. Specifically, we consider three types of one-dimensional systems: a strictly one-dimensional wire and two quasi-one-dimensional wires with unitary and orthogonal symmetries. In each of these models, we consider two types of correlation functions: the correlations of the density of states at close energies and the dynamic response function at low frequencies. For each of those correlation functions, within our method, we calculate three asymptotic features: the behavior at the logarithmically large "Mott length scale", the low-frequency limit at length scale between the localization length and the Mott length scale, and the leading correction in frequency to this limit. In the several cases, where exact results are available, our method reproduces them within the precision of the orders in frequency considered.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2011

Surface impedance of superconductors with weak magnetic impurities

Magnetic impurities affect the spectrum of excitations of a superconductor and thus influence its impedance. We concentrate on the dissipative part of the surface impedance. We investigate its dependence on frequency, the density and strength of magnetic impurities, and the density and temperature of quasiparticles. Even a small concentration of weak magnetic impurities significantly modifies the excitation spectrum in the vicinity of the BCS gap. Therefore, we give special attention to the absorption threshold behavior at zero temperature and to the low-frequency absorption by quasiparticles. The discrete energy states introduced at low density of magnetic impurities may serve as traps for nonequilibrium quasiparticles, reducing the absorption in some range of low radiation frequencies.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2010

Superconducting triplet spin valve

We study the critical temperature T_c of SFF trilayers (S is a singlet superconductor, F is a ferromagnetic metal), where the long-range triplet superconducting component is generated at noncollinear magnetizations of the F layers. We demonstrate that T_c can be a nonmonotonic function of the angle αbetween the magnetizations of the two F layers. The minimum is achieved at an intermediate α, lying between the parallel (P, α=0) and antiparallel (AP, α=π) cases. This implies a possibility of a "triplet" spin-valve effect: at temperatures above the minimum T_c^{Tr} but below T_c^{P} and T_c^{AP}, the system is superconducting only in the vicinity of the collinear orientations. At certain parameters, we predict a reentrant T_c(α) behavior. At the same time, considering only the P and AP orientations, we find that both the "standard" (T_c^{P} < T_c^{AP}) and "inverse" (T_c^{P} > T_c^{AP}) switching effects are possible depending on parameters of the system.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2009

Effective spin-flip scattering in diffusive superconducting proximity systems with magnetic disorder

We revisit the problem of diffusive proximity systems involving superconductors and normal metals (or ferromagnets) with magnetic disorder. On the length scales much larger than its correlation length, the effect of sufficiently weak magnetic disorder may be incorporated as a local spin-flip term in the Usadel equations. We derive this spin-flip term in the general case of a three-dimensional disordered Zeeman-type field with an arbitrary correlation length. Three different regimes may be distinguished: pointlike impurities (the correlation length is shorter than the Fermi wavelength), medium-range disorder (the correlation length between the Fermi wavelength and the mean free path), and long-range disorder (the correlation length longer than the mean free path). We discuss the relations between these three regimes by using the three overlapping approaches: the Usadel equations, the non-linear sigma model, and the diagrammatic expansion. The expressions for the spin-flip rate agree with the existing results obtained in less general situations.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2008

Conductance of a junction between a normal metal and a Berezinskii superconductor

The conductance of a junction between a normal metal and a superconductor having the symmetry proposed by Berezinskii is studied theoretically. The main feature of this symmetry is the odd frequency dependence of the anomalous Green function, which makes possible the s-wave triplet superconducting state (the Berezinskii superconductor). The Andreev reflection (which links positive and negative energies) is sensitive to the energetic symmetry; as a result, the conductance of the junction involving the Berezinskii superconductor is qualitatively different from the case of a conventional superconductor. Experimentally, the obtained results can be employed to test the possibility of the Berezinskii superconductivity proposed for Na$_x$CoO$_2$ and to identify the odd-omega component predicted for superconductor-ferromagnet junctions.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2007

Josephson effect due to the long-range odd-frequency triplet superconductivity in SFS junctions with Neel domain walls

We consider a SFS Josephson junction made of two superconductors S and a multidomain ferromagnet F with an in-plane magnetization. We assume that the neighboring domains of the ferromagnet are separated by Neel domain walls. An odd-frequency triplet long-range component of superconducting correlations arises in the domain walls and spreads into the domains over a long distance of the order $ξ_T = \sqrt{D / 2 πT}$, where $D$ is the diffusion coefficient (dirty limit is implied). We calculate the contribution of this component to the Josephson current in the situation when conventional short-range components exponentially decay over the thickness of the F layer and can be neglected. In the limit when the thickness of the F layer is much smaller than the penetration length of the long-range component, we find that the junction is in the $π$ state. We also analyze a correction to the density of states due to the long-range triplet component.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2006

Proximity effect in the presence of Coulomb interaction and magnetic field

We consider a small metallic grain coupled to a superconductor by a tunnel contact. We study the interplay between proximity and charging effects in the presence of the external magnetic field. Employing the adiabatic approximation we develop a self-consistent theory valid for an arbitrary ratio of proximity and Coulomb strength. The magnetic field suppresses the proximity-induced minigap in an unusual way. We find the phase diagram of the grain in the charging energy - magnetic field plane. Two distinct states exist with different values and magnetic field dependences of the minigap. The first-order phase transition occurs between these two minigapped states. The transition to the gapless state may occur by the first- or second-order mechanism depending on the charging energy. We also calculate the tunneling density of states in the grain. The energy dependence of this quantity demonstrates two different gaps corresponding to the Coulomb and proximity effects. These gaps may be separated in sufficiently high magnetic field.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2006

Insulating state of granular superconductors in a strong-coupling regime

We analyze the possibility of the formation of a magnetic-field-induced insulating state in a two-dimensional granular superconductor with relatively strong intergranular coupling and show that such a state appears in a model with spatial variations of the single-grain critical magnetic field. This model describes realistic granular samples with the dispersion in grain sizes and explains the mechanism leading to a giant peak in the magnetoresistance.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2006

Minigap in superconductor-ferromagnet junctions with inhomogeneous magnetization

We consider the minigap in a disordered ferromagnet (F) in contact with a superconductor (S) in the situation when the magnetization of the F layer is inhomogeneous in space and noncollinear. If the magnetization is strongly inhomogeneous, it effectively averages out, and the minigap survives up to the exchange field $h_c ~ (L/a) E_{Th}$, where $L$ is the thickness of the F layer, $a$ is the scale on which the magnetization varies, and $E_{Th}$ is the Thouless energy. Technically, we use the "triplet" version of the Usadel equations including both singlet and triplet components of the Green's functions. In many cases, the effect of disordered magnetization may be effectively included in the conventional Usadel equations as the spin-flip scattering term. In the case of low-dimensional magnetic inhomogeneities (we consider spiral magnetization as an example), however, the full set of "triplet" equations must be solved.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2005

Long-range odd triplet superconductivity in SF structures with Neel walls

We consider a multidomain superconductor/ferromagnet (SF) structure with an in-plane magnetization, assuming that the neighboring domains are separated by the Neel domain walls. We show that an odd triplet long-range component arises in the domain walls and spreads into domains over a long distance of the order ξ_T = \sqrt{D/2πT} (in the dirty limit). The density of states variation in the domains due to this component changes over distances of the order ξ_T and turns to zero in the middle of domains if the magnetization rotates in the same direction in all domain walls.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2004

Density of states in d-wave superconductors of finite size

We consider the effect of the finite size in the ab-plane on the surface density of states (DoS) in clean d-wave superconductors. In the bulk, the DoS is gapless along the nodal directions, while the presence of a surface leads to formation of another type of the low-energy states, the midgap states with zero energy. We demonstrate that finiteness of the superconductor in one of dimensions provides the energy gap for all directions of quasiparticle motion except for θ=45 degrees (θis the angle between the trajectory and the surface normal); then the angle-averaged DoS behaves linearly at small energies. This result is valid unless the crystal is 0- or 45-oriented (α\ne 0 or 45 degrees, where αis the angle between the a-axis and the surface normal). In the special case of α=0, the spectrum is gapped for all trajectories θ; the angle-averaged DoS is also gapped. In the special case of α=45, the spectrum is gapless for all trajectories θ; the angle-averaged DoS is then large at low energies. In all the cases, the angle-resolved DoS consists of energy bands that are formed similarly to the Kronig-Penney model. The analytical results are confirmed by a self-consistent numerical calculation.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2003

Triplet proximity effect in FSF trilayers

We study the critical temperature T_c of FSF trilayers (F is a ferromagnet, S is a singlet superconductor), where the triplet superconducting component is generated at noncollinear magnetizations of the F layers. An exact numerical method is employed to calculate T_c as a function of the trilayer parameters, in particular, mutual orientation of magnetizations. Analytically, we consider limiting cases. Our results determine conditions which are necessary for existence of recently investigated odd triplet superconductivity in SF multilayers.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2003

Decoherence due to nodal quasiparticles in d-wave qubits

We study the Josephson junction between two d-wave superconductors, which is discussed as an implementation of a qubit. We propose an approach that allows to calculate the decoherence time due to an intrinsic dissipative process: quantum tunneling between the two minima of the double-well potential excites nodal quasiparticles which lead to incoherent damping of quantum oscillations. The decoherence is weakest in the mirror junction, where the contribution of nodal quasiparticles corresponds to the superohmic dissipation and becomes small at small tunnel splitting of the energy level in the double-well potential. For available experimental data, we estimate the quality factor.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2002

Nonsinusoidal current-phase relation in SFS Josephson junctions

Various types of the current-phase relation I(phi) in superconductor-ferromagnet-superconductor (SFS) point contacts and planar double-barrier junctions are studied within the quasiclassical theory in the limit of thin diffusive ferromagnetic interlayers. The physical mechanisms leading to highly nontrivial I(phi) dependence are identified by studying the spectral supercurrent density. These mechanisms are also responsible for the 0-pi transition in SFS Josephson junctions.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2002

Nonmonotonic critical temperature in superconductor/ferromagnet bilayers

The critical temperature T_c of a superconductor/ferromagnet (SF) bilayer can exhibit nonmonotonic dependence on the thickness d_f of the F layer. SF systems have been studied for a long time; according to the experimental situation, the "dirty" limit is often considered which implies that the mean free path in the layers is the second smallest spatial scale after the Fermi wavelength. However, all calculations reported for the dirty limit were done with some additional assumptions, which can be violated in actual experiments. Therefore, we develop a general method (to be exact, two independent methods) for investigating T_c as a function of the bilayer's parameters in the dirty case. Comparing our theory with experiment, we obtain good agreement. In the general case, we observe three characteristic types of T_c(d_f) behavior: 1) nonmonotonic decay of T_c to a finite value exhibiting a minimum at particular d_f, 2) reentrant behavior, characterized by vanishing of T_c in a certain interval of d_f and finite values otherwise, 3) monotonic decay of T_c and vanishing at finite d_f. Qualitatively, the nonmonotonic behavior of T_c(d_f) is explained by the interference of quasiparticles in the F layer, which can be either constructive or destructive depending on the value of d_f.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2002

Critical current in SFIFS junctions

Quantitative theory of the Josephson effect in SFIFS junctions (S denotes bulk superconductor, F - metallic ferromagnet, I - insulating barrier) is presented in the dirty limit. Fully self-consistent numerical procedure is employed to solve the Usadel equations at arbitrary values of the F-layers thicknesses, magnetizations, and interface parameters. In the case of antiparallel ferromagnets' magnetizations the effect of the critical current enhancement by the exchange field is observed, while in the case of parallel magnetizations the junction exhibits the transition to the pi-state. In the limit of thin F layers, we study these peculiarities of the critical current analytically and explain them qualitatively; the scenario of the 0-pi transition in our case differs from those studied before. The effect of switching between 0 and pi states by changing the F-layers' mutual orientation is demonstrated.

cond-mat.supr-con↗