Current-induced nonequilibrium spin polarization in semiconductor-nanowire/s-wave superconductor junctions with strong spin–orbit coupling

We have studied the characteristics of current-induced nonequilibrium spin polarization in semiconductor-nanowire/swave superconductor junctions with strong spin–orbit coupling. It was found that within some parameter regions the magnitude of the current-induced nonequilibrium spin polarization density in such structures will increase（or decrease） with the decrease（or increase） of the charge current density, in contrast to that found in normal spin–orbit coupled semiconductor structures. It was also found that the unusual characteristics of the current-induced nonequilibrium spin polarization in such structures can be well explained by the effect of the Andreev reflection.

Effect of the mixing of s-wave and chiral p-wave pairings on electrical shot noise properties of normal metal/superconductor tunnel junctions

We study theoretically the electrical shot noise properties of tunnel junctions between a normal metal and a superconductor with the mixture of singlet s-wave and chiral triplet p-wave pairing due to broken inversion symmetry. We investigate how the shot noise properties vary as the relative amplitude between the two parity components in the pairing potential is changed. It is demonstrated that some characteristics of the electrical shot noise properties of such tunnel junctions may depend sensitively on the relative amplitude between the two parity components in the pairing potential, and some significant changes may occur in the electrical shot noise properties when the relative amplitude between the two parity components is varied from the singlet s-wave pairing dominated regime to the chiral triplet p-wave pairing dominated regime. In the chiral triplet p-wave pairing dominated regime, the ratio of noise power to electric current is close to 2e both in the in-gap and in the out-gap region. In the singlet s-wave pairing dominated regime, the value of this ratio is close to 4e in the inner gap region but may reduce to about 2e in the outer gap region as the relative amplitude of the chiral triplet pairing component is increased. The variations of the differential shot noise with the bias voltage also exhibit some significantly different features in different regimes. Such different features can serve as useful diagnostic tools for the determination of the relative magnitude of the two parity components in the pairing potential.

Switching effects in superconductor/ferromagnet/superconductor graphene junctions

The Josephson effect in the superconductor/ferromagnet/superconductor （SFS） graphene Josephson junction is studied using the Dirac Bogoliubov-de Gennes （DBdG） formalism. It is shown that the SFS graphene junction drives 0–π transition with the increasing of p=h0L/vF？, which captures the effects of both the exchange field and the length of the junction; the spin-down current is dominant. The 0 state is stable for p 〈 pc （critical value pc ≈ 0.80） and the π state is stable for p 〉 pc, where the free energy minima are at φg=0 and φg=π, respectively. The coexistence of the 0 and π states appears in the vicinity of pc.

Photoinduced valley-dependent equal-spin Andreev reflection in Ising superconductor junction

The Ising spin–orbit coupling could give rise to the spin-triplet Cooper pairs and equal-spin Andreev reflection(AR)in Ising superconductors.Here we theoretically study the valley-dependent equal-spin AR in a ferromagnet/Ising superconductor junction with a circularly polarized light applied to the ferromagnet.Because of the spin-triplet Cooper pairs and the optical irradiation,eight kinds of AR processes appear in the junction,including equal-spin AR and normal AR,the strengths and properties of which strongly depend on the valley degree of freedom.The AR probabilities for the incident electron from the two valleys exhibit certain symmetry with respect to the magnetization angle and the effective energy of light.The equal-spin AR and normal AR present different features and resonant behaviors near the superconducting gap edges.Due to equal-spin-triplet Cooper pairs,not only charge supercurrent but also spin supercurrent can transport in the Ising superconductors.The differential spin conductance for electron injecting from the two valleys can be controlled by the circularly polarized light.

Superconducting Electronics Research at CSIRO Australia——20 Years after Discovery of HTS

CSIRO has had a long-term research effort in superconductivity, in particular, since the discovery of HTS which promised big prospects. Significant progress has been made in research and development of HTS electronic devices and systems for practical applications such as mineral and exploration as well as some niche applications in emerging science and technology areas. This article presents an overview of the CSIRO research activities in HTS supercon- ducting electronics since 1987, outlining the HTS junction and device technology as well as various application systems developed by the group.