RKKY interaction in a spin-split superconductor

Abstract

We determine theoretically the interaction between two magnetic impurities embedded in a spin-split $s$-wave superconductor. The spin-splitting in the superconductor gives rise to two different interaction types between the impurity spins, depending on whether their spins lie in the plane perpendicular to the spin-splitting field (Heisenberg) or not (Ising). For impurity separation distances exceeding $\xi_S$, we find that the magnitude of the spin-splitting can determine whether an antiferromagnetic or ferromagnetic alignment of the impurity spins is preferred by the RKKY interaction. Moreover, the Ising and Heisenberg terms of the RKKY interaction alternate on being the dominant term and their magnitudes oscillate as a function of distance between the impurities.