Magnetic Switching in Weyl Semimetal-Superconductor Heterostructures

Abstract

We present a new switching mechanism that utilizes the proximity coupling between the surface spin texture of a Weyl semimetal and a superconductor, in a Weyl semimetal/superconductor/Weyl semimetal trilayer heterostructure. We show that the superconductivity in the middle layer can be fully suppressed by the surface spin texture of the Weyl semimetals in the presence of an external magnetic field, but it can be recovered again by only changing the field direction. The restoration of the middle-layer superconductivity indicates a sharp transition to a low-resistance state. This sharp switching effect, realizable using a Weyl semimetal because of its strong spin-momentum locking and surface spin polarization, is a promising avenue for novel superconducting spin-valve applications.