Thermodynamics and Phase Diagrams of layered superconductor/ferromagnet nanostructures

TL;DR

This paper investigates the thermodynamics and phase transitions of layered superconductor/ferromagnet nanostructures using self-consistent microscopic calculations, revealing first order transitions and their experimental signatures.

Contribution

It provides a detailed phase diagram of superconductor/ferromagnet nanostructures, identifying first order 0-$ ext{π}$ transitions and calculating associated latent heats.

Findings

First order 0-$ ext{π}$ transitions occur as a function of temperature and layer thickness.

Latent heats of phase transitions are experimentally accessible.

Transition temperature to the normal state matches experimental data.

Abstract

We study the thermodynamics of clean, layered superconductor/ferromagnet nanostructures using fully self consistent methods to solve the microscopic Bogoliubov-deGennes equations. From these self-consistent solutions the condensation free energies are obtained. The trilayer SFS junction is studied in particular detail: first order transitions between 0 and $\pi$ states as a function of the temperature $T$ are located by finding where the free energies of the two phases cross. The occurrence of these transitions is mapped as a function of the thickness $d_F$ of the F layer and of the Fermi wavevector mismatch parameter $\Lambda$. Similar first order transitions are found for systems with a larger number of layers: examples are given in the 7 layer (3 junction) case. The latent heats associated with these phase transitions are evaluated and found to be experimentally accessible. The transition temperature to the normal state is calculated from the linearized Bogoliubov-deGennes equations and found to be in good agreement with experiment. Thus, the whole three dimensional phase diagram in $T,d_F,\Lambda$ space can be found. The first order transitions are associated with dips in the transition temperature $T_c$ to the non-superconducting state, which should facilitate locating them. Results are given also for the magnetic moment and the local density of states (DOS) at the first order transition.