Negative Refraction in Ferromagnet/Superconductor Superlattices

Negative refraction, which reverses many fundamental aspects of classical optics, can be obtained in systems with negative magnetic permeability and negative dielectric permittivity. This Letter documents an experimental realization of negative refraction at millimeter waves, finite magnetic fields and cryogenic temperatures utilizing a multilayer stack of ferromagnetic and superconducting thin films. In the present case the superconducting YBa_2Cu_3O_7 layers provide negative permittivity while negative permeability is achieved via ferromagnetic (La:Sr)MnO_3 layers for frequencies and magnetic fields close to the ferromagnetic resonance. In these superlattices the refractive index can be switched between positive and negative regions using external magnetic field as tuning parameter.Comment: 4 Pages, 3 Figures, Phys. Rev. Lett., accepte

Microwave absorption in YBa[2]Cu[3]O[7-delta]-manganite superlattices

3 pages Erreur sur l'affiliation : CEA/DSM/IRAMIS et non CEA/DSM/DRECAMInternational audienceWe report on results of direct microwave absorption measurements of Re1−x Bx MnO3 /YBa2 Cu3 O7−δ half metal/d-wave superconductor superlattices (where Re - La and Pr) and (B - Sr and Ca) for microwave frequencies in the range from 9 to 20 GHz. The measurements of the entire heterostructure were performed mostly at temperatures below the superconducting transition. The obtained results strongly depend on the microwave frequency and can be qualitatively described within the theoretical model of high-frequency properties of Josephson junctions with a ferromagnetic barrier proposed by S. Takahashi, S. Hikino, M. Mori, J. Martinek, and S. Maekawa, Phys. Rev. Lett. 99, 057003 (2007)

Andreev bound states in ferromagnet-superconductor nanostructures

We discuss the properties of a ferromagnet - superconductor heterostructure on the basis of a Hubbard model featuring exchange splitting in the ferromagnet and electron - electron attraction in the superconductor. We have solved the spin - polarized Hartree - Fock - Gorkov equations together with the Maxwell's equation (Ampere's law) fully self-consistently. We have found that a Proximity Effect - Fulde - Ferrell - Larkin - Ovchinnikov state is realized in such a heterostructure. It manifests itself in an oscillatory behavior of the pairing amplitude in the ferromagnet and spontaneously generated spin polarized current in the ground state. We argue that it is built up from the Andreev bound states, whose energy can be tuned by the exchange splitting and hence can coincide with the Fermi energy giving rise to a current carrying $\pi$-state. We also suggest experiments to verify these predictions.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures included; to be published in Physica

Proximity induced metal/insulator transition in YBa2Cu3O7/La2/3Ca1/3MnO3Y Ba_2 Cu_3 O_7 / La_{2/3} Ca_{1/3} Mn O_3 superlattices

The far-infrared dielectric response of superlattices (SL) composed of superconducting YBa$_{2}$Cu$_{3}$O$_{7}$ (YBCO) and ferromagnetic La$_{0.67}$% Ca$_{0.33}$MnO$_{3}$ (LCMO) has been investigated by ellipsometry. A drastic decrease of the free carrier response is observed which involves an unusually large length scale of d$^{crit}\approx$20 nm in YBCO and d$^{crit}\approx$10 nm in LCMO. A corresponding suppression of metallicity is not observed in SLs where LCMO is replaced by the paramagnetic metal LaNiO$_{3}$. Our data suggest that either a long range charge transfer from the YBCO to the LCMO layers or alternatively a strong coupling of the charge carriers to the different and competitive kind of magnetic correlations in the LCMO and YBCO layers are at the heart of the observed metal/insulator transition. The low free carrier response observed in the far-infrared dielectric response of the magnetic superconductor RuSr$_{2}$GdCu$_{2}$O$_{8}$ is possibly related to this effect

Spin-polarized quasiparticle injection effects in YBCO thin films

We report detailed transport studies on ferromagnet-superconductor heterostructures. Epitaxial heterostructures of half-metal colossal magnetoresistive La2/3Ca1/3MnO3 (HM-CMR) and high Tc superconducting YBa2Cu3O7 (YBCO) are grown on SrTiO3 (100) single crystal substrates by pulsed laser deposition. Using the HM--CMR layer as source for spin-polarized quasiparticles, we show the effect of injection of spin-polarized quasiparticles into the ab-plane and along the c-axis of YBCO. The results show a drop in the ab-plane resistance Rab (T) in the case of injection along the c-axis that is discussed to be related to the opening of a pseudogap.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figure