Origin of Spontaneous Currents in a Superconductor-Ferromagnet Proximity System
arXiv:cond-mat/0510591 · doi:10.1016/j.physc.2005.12.009
Abstract
We have previously shown that a ferromagnet-superconductor heterostructure may possess a spontaneous current circulation parallel to the interface. This current is caused by Andreev bound states in the thin ferromagnetic layer, and can be fully spin-polarized. Here we investigate the total energy of the system in cases where the current either does or does not flow. We show that the current is a true quantum ground state effect, and examine the effect of the current on the different contributions to the total energy.
6 pages, 4 figures. Vortex 2005 conference, accepted for publication Physica C