Supercurrent-Induced Spin-Orbit Torques

Abstract

We theoretically investigate the supercurrent-induced magnetization dynamics of a two-dimensional lattice of ferromagnetically ordered spins placed on a conventional superconductor with broken spatial inversion symmetry and strong spin-orbit coupling. We develop a phenomenological description of the coupled dynamics of the superconducting condensate and the spin system, and demonstrate that supercurrents produce a reactive spin-orbit torque on the magnetization. By performing a microscopic self-consistent calculation, we show that the spin-orbit torque originates from a spin-polarization of the Cooper pairs due to current-induced spin-triplet correlations. Interestingly, we find that there exists an intrinsic limitation for the maximum achievable spin-orbit torque, which is determined by the coupling strength between the condensate and the spin system. In proximitized hole-doped semiconductors, the maximum achievable spin-orbit torque field is estimated to be on the order of $0.16$ mT, which is comparable to the critical field for current-induced magnetization switching in ferromagnetic semiconductors.

Final version accepted by Physical Review B

References in corpus (34)

• Observation of Majorana Fermions in Ferromagnetic Atomic Chains on a Superconductor
• A generic new platform for topological quantum computation using semiconductor heterostructures
• Spin Transfer Torques
• Superconducting Spintronics
• Superconducting 2D system with lifted spin degeneracy: Mixed singlet-triplet state
• Majorana fermions in chains of magnetic atoms on a superconductor
• Evidence for reversible control of magnetization in a ferromagnetic material via spin-orbit magnetic field
• Topological Superconductivity and Majorana Fermions in RKKY Systems
• Interplay between classical magnetic moments and superconductivity in quantum one-dimensional conductors: toward a self-sustained topological Majorana phase
• Self-Organized Topological State with Majorana Fermions
• Non-Abelian Topological Orders and Majorana Fermions in Spin-Singlet Superconductors
• Spin-orbit driven ferromagnetic resonance: A nanoscale magnetic characterisation technique
• Diffusive spin dynamics in ferromagnetic thin films with a Rashba interaction
• Spin-orbit torques in Co/Pt(111) and Mn/W(001) magnetic bilayers from first principles
• Quantum Kinetic Theory of Current-Induced Torques in Rashba Ferromagnets
• Theory of 2D superconductor with broken inversion symmetry
• Magnetic moment manipulation by a Josephson current
• Influence of a Transport Current on Magnetic Anisotropy in Gyrotropic Ferromagnets
• Current-induced torques in textured Rashba ferromagnets
• Free Energy of an Inhomogeneous Superconductor: a Wave Function Approach
• Magnetic exchange interaction induced by a Josephson current
• Currents induced by magnetic impurities in superconductors with spin-orbit coupling
• Magnonic Charge Pumping via Spin-Orbit Coupling
• Spin Supercurrent, Magnetization Dynamics, and Phi-State in Spin-Textured Josephson Junctions
• Phenomenology of Current-Induced Spin-Orbit Torques
• Scattering Theory of Charge-Current Induced Magnetization Dynamics
• Piezo-Magneto-Electric Effects in p-Doped Semiconductors
• Spin-polarized edge currents and Majorana fermions in one- and two-dimensional topological superconductors
• Charge and Spin Currents in Ferromagnetic Josephson junctions
• Theory of Nonequilibrium Spin Transport and Spin Transfer Torque in Superconducting-Ferromagnetic Nanostructures
• Robustness of Majorana Modes and Minigaps in a Spin-Orbit-Coupled Semiconductor-Superconductor Heterostructure
• Vortex states and Majorana fermions in spin-orbit coupled semiconductor-superconductor hybrid structures
• Spin-Transfer and Exchange Torques in Ferromagnetic Superconductors
• Magnetic impurities in a superconductor: Effect of domain walls and interference

Cited by in corpus (6)

• Skyrmion-(Anti)Vortex Coupling in a Chiral Magnet-Superconductor Heterostructure
• Boosting spintronics with superconductivity
• Temperature-dependent spin-transport and current-induced torques in superconductor/ferromagnet heterostructures
• Magnetoelectric coupling in superconductor-helimagnet heterostructures
• Supercurrent-induced Skyrmion dynamics and Tunable Weyl points in Chiral Magnet with Superconductivity
• Growth optimization of TaN for superconducting spintronics