2000/10/31 by Xavier Waintal, Piet W. Brouwer · 3 citations
Materials Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Magnetic and transport properties of perovskites and related materials #Magnetic properties of thin films #Physics of Superconductivity and Magnetism #cond-mat.mes-hall
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevb.63.220407
published as Phys. Rev. B 63, 220407 (2001) · 4 pages, 3 figures, major rewriting of the technical part
arxiv created 2001/02/15 · openalex publication_date 2001/05/24 · arxiv updated 2009/11/30 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
In a ferromagnet--normal-metal--ferromagnet trilayer, a current flowing perpendicularly to the layers creates a torque on the magnetic moments of the ferromagnets. When one of the contacts is superconducting, the torque not only favors parallel or antiparallel alignment of the magnetic moments, as is the case for two normal contacts, but can also favor a configuration where the two moments are perpendicular. In addition, whereas the conductance for parallel and antiparallel magnetic moments is the same, signalling the absence of giant magnetoresistance in the usual sense, the conductance is greater in the perpendicular configuration. Thus, a negative magnetoconductance is predicted, in contrast with the usual giant magnetoresistance.