Vortex spin-valve on a topological insulator

Abstract

Spin-valve structures are usually associated with the ability to modify the resistance of electrical currents. We here demonstrate a profoundly different effect of a spin-valve. In combination with a topological insulator and superconducting materials, we show that a spin-valve can be used to toggle quantum vortices in and out of existence. In the antiparallel configuration, the spin-valve causes superconducting vortex nucleation. In the parallel configuration, however, no vortices appear. This switching effect suggests a new way to control quantum vortices.

arXiv comment4 pages, 4 figures

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Cited by in corpus (4)

• Inverse proximity effect in $s$-wave and $d$-wave superconductors coupled to topological insulators
• Magnetization Dynamics and Peierls Instability in Topological Josephson Structures
• Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transitions in a topological superconductor-ferromagnet-superconductor junction
• Dominant superconducting correlations in a Luttinger liquid induced by spin fluctuations