Magnetoresistive Effects in Ferromagnet-Superconductor Multilayers

We consider a nanoscale system consisting of Manganite-ferromagnet and Cuprate-superconductor multilayers in a spin valve configuration. The magnetization of the bottom Manganite-ferromagnet is pinned by a Manganite-antiferromagnet. The magnetization of the top Manganite-ferromagnet is coupled to the bottom one via indirect exchange through the superconducting layers. We study the behavior of the critical temperature and the magnetoresistance as a function of an externally applied parallel magnetic field, when the number of Cuprate-superconductor layers are changed. There are two typical behaviors in the case of a few monolayers of the Cuprates: a) For small magnetic fields, the critical temperature and the magnetoresistance change abruptly when the flipping field of the top Manganite-ferromagnet is reached. b) For large magnetic fields, the multilayered system re-enters the zero-resistance (superconducting) state after having become resistive (normal).Comment: 3 pages, 3 figures. 2004 Magnetism and Magnetic Materials Conferenc