Quasiparticle energy spectrum in ferromagnetic Josephson weak links

Abstract

The quasiparticles energy spectrum in clean ferromagnetic weak links between conventional superconductors is calculated. Large peaks in DOS, due to a special case of Andreev reflection at the ferromagnetic barrier, correspond to spin-splitt bound states. Their energies are obtained as a function of the barrier thickness, exchange field strength, and of the macroscopic phase difference $\varphi$ at the link, related to the Josephson current. In the ground state, $\varphi$ can be 0 or $\pi$, depending on the ferromagnetic barrier influence. Conditions for the appearence of the zero-energy bound states (ZES) and for the spin polarized ground state (SPGS) are obtained analytically. It is shown that ZES appear only outside the weak link ground state.

arXiv comment11 pages, 6 figures

References in corpus (3)

• Andreev Reflection In Ferromagnet-Superconductor Junctions
• Tunneling into Current-Carrying Surface States of High T${}_c$ Superconductors
• Spontaneous Currents in Josephson Devices

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• Spontaneous Spin Polarized Currents in Superconductor-Ferromagnetic Metal Heterostructures
• Exchange induced ordinary reflection in a single-channel superconductor-ferromagnet-superconductor junction
• The physics of superconductor-ferromagnet hybrid structures