Theory of a large thermoeffect in superconductors doped with magnetic impurities

We argue that parametrically strong enhancement of a thermoelectric current can be observed in conventional superconductors doped by magnetic impurities. This effect is caused by violation of the symmetry between electron-like and hole-like excitations due to formation of subgap Andreev bound states in the vicinity of magnetic impurities. We develop a quantitative theory of this effect and demonstrate that it can be detected in modern experiments.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Interplay between Josephson and Aharonov-Bohm effects in Andreev interferometers

Proximity induced quantum coherence of electrons in multi-terminal voltage-driven hybrid normal-superconducting nanostructures may result in a non-trivial interplay between topology-dependent Josephson and Aharonov-Bohm effects. We elucidate a trade-off between stimulation of the voltage-dependent Josephson current due to non-equilibrium effects and quantum dephasing of quasiparticles causing reduction of both Josephson and Aharonov-Bohm currents. We also predict phase-shifted quantum coherent oscillations of the induced electrostatic potential as a function of the externally applied magnetic flux. Our results may be employed for engineering superconducting nanocircuits with controlled quantum properties

Crossed Andreev reflection at spin-active interfaces

With the aid of the quasiclassical Eilenberger formalism we develop a theory of non-local electron transport across three-terminal ballistic normal-superconducting-normal (NSN) devices with spin-active NS interfaces. The phenomenon of crossed Andreev reflection (CAR) is known to play the key role in such transport. We demonstrate that CAR is highly sensitive to electron spins and yields a rich variety of properties of non-local conductance which we describe non-perturbatively at arbitrary voltages, temperature, spin-dependent interface transmissions and their polarizations. Our results can be applied to multi-terminal hybrid structures with normal, ferromagnetic and half-metallic electrodes and can be directly tested in future experiments.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures; figures 6 and 7 are corrected; version published in Phys. Rev.

Long-range Josephson effect controlled by temperature gradient and circuit topology

We demonstrate that the supercurrent can be strongly enhanced in cross-like superconducting hybrid nanostructures (X-junctions) exposed to a temperature gradient. At temperatures T exceeding the Thouless energy of our X-junction the Josephson current decays algebraically with increasing T and can be further enhanced by a proper choice of the circuit topology. At large values of the temperature gradient the non-equilibrium contribution to the supercurrent may become as large as the equilibrium one at low T. We also predict a variety of transitions between 0- and $\pi$-junction states controlled by the temperature gradient as well as by the system geometry. Our predictions can be directly verified in modern experiments.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figure

Long-range Josephson effect controlled by temperature gradient and circuit topology

We demonstrate that the supercurrent can be strongly enhanced in cross-like superconducting hybrid nanostructures (X-junctions) exposed to a temperature gradient. At temperatures T exceeding the Thouless energy of our X-junction, the Josephson current decays algebraically with increasing T and can be further enhanced by a proper choice of the circuit topology. At large values of the temperature gradient, the non-equilibrium contribution to the supercurrent may become as large as the equilibrium one at low T. We also predict a variety of transitions between 0- and π-junction states controlled by the temperature gradient as well as by the system geometry. Our predictions can be directly verified in modern experiments