A new mechanism whereby superconductivity persists in a ferromagnetic material has been discovered

A research group of the UCM belonging to the Moncloa Campus within the Materials for the Future Cluster in collaboration with CNRS-Thales researchers of France have discovered a new mechanism whereby superconductivity persists in a ferromagnetic material. The discovery is particularly relevant to design future devices applied to spintronics and quantum computing.

21/05/2012

A research group of the UCM belonging to the Moncloa Campus within the Materials for the Future Cluster in collaboration with CNRS-Thales researchers of France have discovered a new mechanism whereby superconductivity persists in a ferromagnetic material. The discovery is particularly relevant to design future devices applied to spintronics and quantum computing.

The researchers Jacob Santamaría y Carlos León of the Complex Materials Physics Group of the UCM in collaboration with the Mixed Physics Unit, CNRS-Thales in Palaiseau (France) have found evidence for the existence of spin-polarized supercurrents. The samples, which were produced in Madrid, are heterostructures that combine ferromagnetic complex oxides and high temperature superconductors, and were measured in Paris.

The survey, published in the Nature Physics Journal, illustrates the possibility to generate spin-polarized supercurrents in nanostructured artificial materials based on complex oxides and to create a new scenario that can be understood as the ”œjoint” of the two fields, the spintronics and mesoscopic superconductivity. These interesting effects can have numerous applications such as new spintronics devices and quantum computing.

Spin is a quantum property of electrons, which is analogous in a classical description, and since its discovery in early twentieth century has allowed researchers to understand the electronic behavior of materials. The spin of an electron can have only two values assigned in opposite directions in space (above and below).

The ferromagnetism is a phenomenon resulting from a macroscopic manifestation of a quantum state of electrons of a metal in which their spins are arranged parallel to each other (all up or all down). If a stream is injected by ferromagnetic contact it will have parallel spins so it is polarized.

The incorporation of these materials to the electronic devices has led to spintronics that exploits the properties of the spin, in the same way that electronics exploits electric charges. This field experienced a breakthrough in the last decade, and it is thought that new devices will be more efficient than the current ones and an alternative to silicon-based technology.

Besides, the superconductivity is antagonistic to the previous material in which electrons are paired and their spins are antiparallel. The superconductive materials are able to transport electric currents with no energy consumption. The superconductivity can be applied to transport of electricity or for ultrafast electronic devices.

In recent years, researchers have studied the combination of both phenomena and possible applications in order to propagate to long distances superconducting current spin polarization.

Tag: Materials for the Future    Source: Universidad Complutense de Madrid

Event date:

21/05/2012