Current induced switching of magnetic domains to a perpendicular configuration

In a ferromagnet--normal-metal--ferromagnet trilayer, a current flowing perpendicularly to the layers creates a torque on the magnetic moments of the ferromagnets. When one of the contacts is superconducting, the torque not only favors parallel or antiparallel alignment of the magnetic moments, as is the case for two normal contacts, but can also favor a configuration where the two moments are perpendicular. In addition, whereas the conductance for parallel and antiparallel magnetic moments is the same, signalling the absence of giant magnetoresistance in the usual sense, the conductance is greater in the perpendicular configuration. Thus, a negative magnetoconductance is predicted, in contrast with the usual giant magnetoresistance.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, major rewriting of the technical par

Enhancement of giant magnetoresistance due to spin mixing in magnetic multilayers with a superconducting contact

We study the giant magnetoresistance (GMR) ratio in magnetic multilayers wit a single superconducting contact in the presence of spin-mixing processes. It has been recently shown [F. Taddei, S. Sanvito, J.H. Jefferson, and C. J. Lambert, Phys, Rev. Lett, 82, 4938 (1999)] that the GMR ratio of magnetic multilayers is strongly suppressed by the presence of a super conducting contact when spin flipping is not allowed. In this paper we demonstrate that the GMR ratio can be dramatically enhanced by spin-orbit interaction and/or noncollinear magnetic moments. The system is described using a tight-binding model with either s-p-d or s-d atomic orbitals per site