Manifestation of New Interference Effects in Superconductor/Ferromagnet Spin Valve

Superconductor/ferromagnet (S/F) spin valve effect theories based on the S/F proximity phenomenon assume that the superconducting transition temperature Tc of F1/F2/S or F1/S/F2 trilayers for parallel magnetizations of the F1- and F2-layers (TcP) are smaller than for the antiparallel orientations (TcAP). Here, we report for CoOx/Fe1/Cu/Fe2/In multilayered systems with varying Fe2-layer thickness the sign-changing oscillating behavior of the spin valve effect \Delta Tc=TcAP-TcP. Our measurements revealed the full direct spin valve effect with TcAP>TcP for Fe2-layer thickness dFe2<1 nm and the full inverse (TcAP=1 nm. Interference of Cooper pair wave functions reflected from both surfaces of the Fe2-layer appear as the most probable reason for the observed behavior of \Delta Tc.Comment: Accepted for publication in PR

Full spin switch effect for the superconducting current in a superconductor/ferromagnet thin film heterostructure

Superconductor/ferromagnet (S/F) proximity effect theory predicts that the superconducting critical temperature of the F1/F2/S or F1/S/F2 trilayers for the parallel orientation of the F1 and F2 magnetizations is smaller than for the antiparallel one. This suggests a possibility of a controlled switching between the superconducting and normal states in the S layer. Here, using the spin switch design F1/F2/S theoretically proposed by Oh et al. [Appl. Phys. Lett. 71, 2376 (1997)], that comprises a ferromagnetic bilayer separated by a non-magnetic metallic spacer layer as a ferromagnetic component, and an ordinary superconductor as the second interface component, we have successfully realized a full spin switch effect for the superconducting current.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

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.Comment: 5 pages (including 4 EPS figures). Version 2: final version as published in PR

Noise-induced topological transformations of vortex solitons in optical fibers filled with a cold atomic gas

We consider the influence of optical and temperature-dependent atomic fluctuations on the formation and propagation of optical vortex solitons in dense media realized as hollow-core optical fibers filled with a cold atomic gas in presence of optical pumping. We show different perturbation-induced scenaria of complete destruction and smooth transformations of the topological characteristics of localized optical structures in hollow-core fiber. The maximum levels of optical and atomic fluctuations at which the soliton regime can be maintained has been determined. The estimates for these levels show an opportunity to observe the optical vortex solitions in the core-filling gas of the fiber for temperatures smaller than the critical temperature for Bose-Einstein condensate.Comment: 12 pages, 10 EPS figures, submitted to Physical Review

Manifestation of New Interference Effects in Superconductor/Ferromagnet Spin Valve

Superconductor/ferromagnet (S/F) spin valve effect theories based on the S/F proximity phenomenon assume that the superconducting transition temperature Tc of F1/F2/S or F1/S/F2 trilayers for parallel magnetizations of the F1- and F2-layers (TcP) are smaller than for the antiparallel orientations (TcAP). Here, we report for CoOx/Fe1/Cu/Fe2/In multilayered systems with varying Fe2-layer thickness the sign-changing oscillating behavior of the spin valve effect \Delta Tc=TcAP-TcP. Our measurements revealed the full direct spin valve effect with TcAP>TcP for Fe2-layer thickness dFe2<1 nm and the full inverse (TcAP<TcAP) spin valve effect for dFe2>=1 nm. Interference of Cooper pair wave functions reflected from both surfaces of the Fe2-layer appear as the most probable reason for the observed behavior of \Delta Tc.Comment: Accepted for publication in PR