Spin-dependent Proximity Effects in d-wave Superconductor/Half-metal Heterostructures

TL;DR

This paper investigates how spin-dependent interface effects in d-wave superconductor/half-metal heterostructures induce unconventional pairing correlations and magnetic phenomena, revealing complex proximity effects in high-Tc cuprate and manganite systems.

Contribution

It demonstrates the combined impact of spin-mixing and spin-flip scattering on proximity effects, highlighting the emergence of spin-triplet correlations and magnetic proximity in these heterostructures.

Findings

Spin-mixing induces spin-triplet pairing correlations.

Spin-flip scattering creates long-range equal-spin pairing.

Exotic magnetic proximity effects extend into the superconductor.

Abstract

We report on mutual proximity effects in d-wave superconductor/half-metal heterostructures which correspond to systems composed of high-Tc cuprates and manganite materials. In our study, proximity effects are induced by the interplay of two separate interface effects: spin-mixing (or rotation) surface scattering and spin-flip scattering. The surface spin-mixing scattering introduces spin-triplet pairing correlations in superconducting side; as a result, Andreev bound states are formed at energies within the superconducting gap. The spin-flip scattering introduces not only long range equal-spin pairing amplitudes in the half-metal, but also an exotic magnetic proximity effect extending into the superconductor.