Transport through ferromagnet/superconductor interfaces

Abstract

The differential resistance of submicron-size ferromagnet/superconductor interface structures shows asymmetries as a function of the current through the ferromagnet/superconductor interface. These asymmetries are a consequence of spin-polarized electron transport from the ferromagnet to the superconductor, coupled with the Zeeman-splitting of the superconducting quasiparticle density of states. They are sensitive to the orientation of the magnetization of the ferromagnet, as the magnetic field required to spin-split the quasiparticle density of states can be provided by the ferromagnetic element itself.