Irreversible magnetization switching at the onset of superconductivity in a superconductor ferromagnet hybrid

Peter J Curran, Jangyong Kim, Nathan Satchell, J. D. S. Witt, Gavin Burnell, Machiel G Flokstra, Stephen L Lee, Joshaniel F.K. Cooper, Christy Kinane, Sean Langridge, Aldo Isidori, Nataliya Pugach, Matthias Eschrig, Simon J Bending

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Abstract

We demonstrate that the magnetic state of a superconducting spin valve, that is normally controlled with an external magnetic field, can also be manipulated by varying the temperature which increases the functionality and flexibility of such structures as switching elements. In this case, switching is driven by changes in the magnetostatic energy due to spontaneous Meissner screening currents forming in the superconductor below the critical temperature. Our scanning Hall probe measurements also reveal vortex-mediated pinning of the ferromagnetic domain structure due to the pinning of quantized stray fields in the adjacent superconductor. The ability to use temperature as well as magnetic field to control the local magnetisation structure raises the prospect of potential applications in magnetic memory devices.
Original languageEnglish
Article number262602
Pages (from-to)1-5
Number of pages5
JournalApplied Physics Letters
Volume107
Issue number26
Early online date31 Dec 2015
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 31 Dec 2015

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