Physicists from Russia have discovered that two-dimensional ferromagnetic materials can be used to control superconductivity in an adjacent layer of a superconductor, as well as to manipulate the spin characteristics of such multilayer structures. This was reported at the MIPT Center for Scientific Communication.
Grigory Bobkov, a researcher at MIPT (Dolgoprudny), explained that the research results show the possibility of not only turning superconductivity on and off, but also controlling spin splitting. He added that the simultaneous presence of spin splitting and strong spin-orbit coupling opens up prospects for creating electrically controlled two-dimensional spin superconductors.
The discovery was made during a theoretical study of the interaction of ultrathin layers of a superconductor and a ferromagnet, which are connected in a so-called heterostructure. These are multilayer structures made of two-dimensional materials that can have unusual properties due to the interaction of particles in adjacent layers.
Russian physicists have suggested that such interactions can be used to control the behavior of superconductors and other materials that can be used in spintronic devices and sensors. To this end, Bobkov and his colleagues investigated the interactions between ultrathin layers of niobium diselenide and vanadium diselenide.
The researchers noted that niobium diselenide is a superconductor, while vanadium diselenide has ferromagnetic properties. In the absence of external influences, the interaction between charge carriers in these layers leads to the loss of the superconducting properties of the first layer. However, this effect can be suppressed by applying voltage to the vanadium diselenide layer.
In addition, the researchers found that such manipulations allow controlling the spin characteristics of the superconductor. This opens up new opportunities for creating spin electronic devices and spin caloritronics — quantum electronic devices in which the direction of spins is controlled by heat flows. Such discoveries significantly expand the possibilities of using superconducting heterostructures, the scientists concluded.
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