Intrinsic electromagnetic damping in superconductor-ferromagnet proximity heterostructures

TL;DR

This paper theoretically investigates how the magnetic proximity effect causes intrinsic electromagnetic damping in superconductor-ferromagnet heterostructures, impacting the design of superconducting microwave devices.

Contribution

It introduces a self-consistent numerical model predicting intrinsic damping due to the inverse proximity effect in superconductor-ferromagnet structures.

Findings

Ferromagnetic proximity induces irremovable damping in electromagnetic response.

Triplet Cooper pairs formation influences the impedance characteristics.

Gapless superconductivity occurs in thin S films near FIs.

Abstract

The study of the response of superconducting hybrid structures with magnetic materials to microwave irradiation is necessary for the development of effective superconducting spintronic devices. The role of the magnetic proximity effect (direct and inverse) on the electrical properties of hybrid structures is a pressing issue for its application. We theoretically study the electromagnetic impedance of a thin superconducting (S) film covering a ferromagnetic insulator (FI). An intrinsic damping of microwave irradiation is predicted because of the inverse proximity effect. The system of Usadel equations is solved numerically and self-consistently in the Nambu-Keldysh formalism with boundary conditions for strong spin polarization of the insulator. Based on the calculated Green's function, the features of the bilayer complex conductivity and impedance as a function of the field frequency have been discovered. It is shown how the ferromagnetic proximity effect leads to irremovable damping in the electromagnetic response of such heterostructures. The mechanism related to the formation of triplet Cooper pairs in an S layer at proximity of the FI interface is analyzed. Even gapless superconductivity has been found in a thin S film similar to a magnetic superconductor. The resulting intrinsic damping must be taken into account when designing superconducting devices for microwave applications.