Transport and magnetization dynamics in a superconductor/single-molecule magnet/superconductor junction

We study dc-transport and magnetization dynamics in a junction of arbitrary transparency consisting of two spin-singlet superconducting leads connected via a single classical spin precessing at the frequency $\Omega$. The presence of the spin in the junction provides different transmission amplitudes for spin-up and spin-down quasiparticles as well as a time-dependent spin-flip transmission term. For a phase biased junction, we show that a steady-state superconducting charge current flows through the junction and that an out-of-equilibrium circularly polarized spin current, of frequency $\Omega$, is emitted in the leads. Detailed understanding of the charge and spin currents is obtained in the entire parameter range. In the adiabatic regime, $\hbar \Omega \ll 2\Delta$ where $\Delta$ is the superconducting gap, and for high transparencies of the junction, a strong suppression of the current takes place around \vp \approx 0 due to an abrupt change in the occupation of the Andreev bound-states. At higher values of the phase and/or precession frequency, extended (quasi-particle like) states compete with the bound-states in order to carry the current. Well below the superconducting transition, these results are shown to be weakly affected by the back-action of the spin current on the dynamics of the precessing spin. Indeed, we show that the Gilbert damping due to the quasi-particle spin current is strongly suppressed at low-temperatures, which goes along with a shift of the precession frequency due to the condensate. The results obtained may be of interest for on-going experiments in the field of molecular spintronics.Comment: 19 pages, 13 figures (v3) Minor modifications per referee's comments. No change in results. (v2) 2 authors added, 1 reference added (Ref. 25), no change in the text and result

Meta-analytic Findings on Grouping Programs

Meta-analytic reviews have focused on five distinct instructional programs that separate students by ability: multilevel dasses, cross-grade programs, within-class grouping, enriched classes for the gifted and talented, and accelerated classes. The reviews show that effects are a function of program type. Multilevel classes, which entail only minor adjustment of course content for ability groups, usually have little or no effect on student achievement. Programs that entail more substantial adjustment of curriculum to ability, such as cross-grade and within-class programs, produce clear positive effects. Programs of enrichment and acceleration, which usually involve the greatest amount of curricular adjustment, have the largest effects on student learning. These results doe not support recent claims that no one benefits from grouping or that students in the lower groups are harmed academically and emotionally by grouping.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/67315/2/10.1177_001698629203600204.pd

Josephson current in strongly correlated double quantum dots

We study the transport properties of a serial double quantum dot (DQD) coupled to two superconducting leads, focusing on the Josephson current through the DQD and the associated 0-$\pi$ transitions which result from the subtle interplay between the superconductivity, the Kondo physics, and the inter-dot superexchange interaction. We examine the competition between the superconductivity and the Kondo physics by tuning the relative strength $\Delta/T_K$ of the superconducting gap $\Delta$ and the Kondo temperature $T_K$, for different strengths of the superexchange coupling determined by the interdot tunneling $t$ relative to the dot level broadening $\Gamma$. We find strong renormalization of $t$, a significant role of the superexchange coupling $J$, and a rich phase diagram of the 0 and $\pi$-junction regimes. In particular, when both the superconductivity and the exchange interaction are in close competion with the Kondo physics ($\Delta\sim J\sim T_K$), there appears an island of $\pi'$-phase at large values of the superconducting phase difference.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Rate equations for Coulomb blockade with ferromagnetic leads

We present a density-matrix rate-equation approach to sequential tunneling through a metal particle weakly coupled to ferromagnetic leads. The density-matrix description is able to deal with correlations between degenerate many-electron states that the standard rate equation formalism in terms of occupation probabilities cannot describe. Our formalism is valid for an arbitrary number of electrons on the dot, for an arbitrary angle between the polarization directions of the leads, and with or without spin-orbit scattering on the metal particle. Interestingly, we find that the density-matrix description may be necessary even for metal particles with unpolarized leads if three or more single-electron levels contribute to the transport current and electron-electron interactions in the metal particle are described by the `universal interaction Hamiltonian'.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, REVTeX

Non-equilibrium effects in a Josephson junction coupled to a precessing spin

We present a theoretical study of a Josephson junction consisting of two s-wave superconducting leads coupled over a classical spin. When an external magnetic field is applied, the classical spin will precess with the Larmor frequency. This magnetically active interface results in a time-dependent boundary condition with different tunneling amplitudes for spin-up and spin-down quasiparticles and where the precession produces spin-flip scattering processes. We show that as a result, the Andreev states develop sidebands and a non-equilibrium population which depend on the precession frequency and the angle between the classical spin and the external magnetic field. The Andreev states lead to a steady-state Josephson current whose current-phase relation could be used for characterizing the precessing spin. In addition to the charge transport, a magnetization current is also generated.This spin current is time-dependent and its polarization axis rotates with the same precession frequency as the classical spin.Comment: 20 pages, 26 figure

Proximity DC squids in the long junction limit

We report the design and measurement of Superconducting/normal/superconducting (SNS) proximity DC squids in the long junction limit, i.e. superconducting loops interrupted by two normal metal wires roughly a micrometer long. Thanks to the clean interface between the metals, at low temperature a large supercurrent flows through the device. The dc squid-like geometry leads to an almost complete periodic modulation of the critical current through the device by a magnetic flux, with a flux periodicity of a flux quantum h/2e through the SNS loop. In addition, we examine the entire field dependence, notably the low and high field dependence of the maximum switching current. In contrast with the well-known Fraunhoffer-type oscillations typical of short wide junctions, we find a monotonous gaussian extinction of the critical current at high field. As shown in [15], this monotonous dependence is typical of long and narrow diffusive junctions. We also find in some cases a puzzling reentrance at low field. In contrast, the temperature dependence of the critical current is well described by the proximity effect theory, as found by Dubos {\it et al.} [16] on SNS wires in the long junction limit. The switching current distributions and hysteretic IV curves also suggest interesting dynamics of long SNS junctions with an important role played by the diffusion time across the junction.Comment: 12 pages, 16 figure

Aharonov-Bohm differential conductance modulation in defective metallic single-wall carbon nanotubes

Using a perturbative approach, the effects of the energy gap induced by the Aharonov-Bohm (AB) flux on the transport properties of defective metallic single-walled carbon nanotubes (MSWCNTs) are investigated. The electronic waves scattered back and forth by a pair of impurities give rise to Fabry-Perot oscillations which constitutes a coherent backscattering interference pattern (CBSIP). It is shown that, the CBSIP is aperiodically modulated by applying a magnetic field parallel to the nanotube axis. In fact, the AB-flux brings this CBSIP under control by an additional phase shift. As a consequence, the extrema as well as zeros of the CBSIP are located at the irrational fractions of the quantity $\Phi_\rho={\Phi}/{\Phi_0}$, where $\Phi$ is the flux piercing the nanotube cross section and $\Phi_{0}=h/e$ is the magnetic quantum flux. Indeed, the spacing between two adjacent extrema in the magneto-differential conductance (MDC) profile is decreased with increasing the magnetic field. The faster and higher and slower and shorter variations is then obtained by metallic zigzag and armchair nanotubes, respectively. Such results propose that defective metallic nanotubes could be used as magneto-conductance switching devices based on the AB effect.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure

Current-flux characteristics in mesoscopic nonsuperconducting rings

We propose four different mechanisms responsible for paramagnetic or diamagnetic persistent currents in normal metal rings and determine the circumstances for change of the current from paramagnetic to diamagnetic ones and {\it vice versa}. It might qualitatively reproduce the experimental results of Bluhm et al. (Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 136802 (2009)).Comment: 8 pages, 1 figur

Spontaneous supercurrent induced by ferromagnetic pi-junctions

We present magnetization measurements of mesoscopic superconducting niobium loops containing a ferromagnetic (PdNi) pi-junction. The loops are prepared on top of the active area of a micro Hall-sensor based on high mobility GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructures. We observe asymmetric switching of the loop between different magnetization states when reversing the sweep direction of the magnetic field. This provides evidence for a spontaneous current induced by the intrinsic phase shift of the pi-junction. In addition, the presence of the spontaneous current near zero applied field is directly revealed by an increase of the magnetic moment with decreasing temperature, which results in half integer flux quantization in the loop at low temperatures.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Josephson current through a Kondo molecule

We investigate transport of Cooper pairs through a double quantum dot (DQD) in the Kondo regime and coupled to superconducting leads. Within the non-perturbative slave boson mean-field theory we evaluate the Josephson current for two different configurations, the DQD coupled in parallel and in series to the leads. We find striking differences between these configurations in the supercurrent as a function of the ratio t/\Gamma, where t is the interdot coupling and \Gamma is the coupling to the leads: the critical current I_c decreases monotonously with t/\Gamma for the parallel configuration whereas I_c exhibits a maximum at t/\Gamma=1 in the serial case. These results demonstrate that a variation of the ratio t/\Gamma enables to control the flow of supercurrent through the Kondo resonance of the DQD.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure