Researchers Yuri Fukaya, Keiji Yada, and Yukio Tanaka from the University of Tokyo have published a study in Physical Review Letters exploring the unique properties of hybrid systems combining unconventional magnetic materials and conventional superconductors. Their work focuses on the behavior of these materials at the atomic level and the potential applications for energy transmission and storage.
The team investigated the surface density of states in hybrid systems where an unconventional magnet with p-wave superconductivity is paired with a conventional s-wave superconductor. They found that the unique spin structure of the p-wave magnet creates a specific energy gap structure, leading to the emergence of zero-energy flat bands at the edges of the material. This phenomenon induces an odd-frequency spin-triplet even-parity pairing at the edges, while the even-frequency spin-singlet even-parity pairing remains present.
One of the most significant findings of this research is the demonstration of Josephson current in superconducting junctions involving these hybrid systems. The Josephson effect is a phenomenon where superconducting currents flow without resistance through a barrier between two superconductors. In this case, the interaction between the spin-singlet s-wave pair potential and the p-wave unconventional magnetic order results in a current phase relation that shows a φ-junction in high-transparency conditions. Additionally, the temperature dependence of the Josephson current is influenced by the coupling of spin-singlet even-parity pairings in the low-transparency limit.
The practical applications of this research for the energy sector are promising. Understanding and controlling the Josephson effect in these hybrid systems could lead to more efficient and stable superconducting devices for energy transmission and storage. The unique properties of these materials could also be exploited to develop new types of superconducting junctions and other advanced energy technologies.
This study provides a deeper understanding of the superconducting phenomena and transport properties in p-wave unconventional magnet-s-wave superconductor hybrid systems. The researchers’ calculations offer insights into the potential applications of these materials in the energy industry, paving the way for future advancements in superconducting technologies. The research was published in Physical Review Letters, a prestigious journal in the field of physics.
This article is based on research available at arXiv.