Direct observation of a superconducting vortex diode

Alon Gutfreund (), Hisakazu Matsuki, Vadim Plastovets, Avia Noah, Laura Gorzawski, Nofar Fridman, Guang Yang, Alexander Buzdin, Oded Millo, Jason W. A. Robinson () and Yonathan Anahory ()
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Alon Gutfreund: The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Hisakazu Matsuki: University of Cambridge
Vadim Plastovets: University of Bordeaux
Avia Noah: The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Laura Gorzawski: University of Cambridge
Nofar Fridman: The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Guang Yang: University of Cambridge
Alexander Buzdin: University of Bordeaux
Oded Millo: The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Jason W. A. Robinson: University of Cambridge
Yonathan Anahory: The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract The interplay between magnetism and superconductivity can lead to unconventional proximity and Josephson effects. A related phenomenon that has recently attracted considerable attention is the superconducting diode effect, in which a nonreciprocal critical current emerges. Although superconducting diodes based on superconductor/ferromagnet (S/F) bilayers were demonstrated more than a decade ago, the precise underlying mechanism remains unclear. While not formally linked to this effect, the Fulde–Ferrell–Larkin–Ovchinikov (FFLO) state is a plausible mechanism due to the twofold rotational symmetry breaking caused by the finite center-of-mass-momentum of the Cooper pairs. Here, we directly observe asymmetric vortex dynamics that uncover the mechanism behind the superconducting vortex diode effect in Nb/EuS (S/F) bilayers. Based on our nanoscale SQUID-on-tip (SOT) microscope and supported by in-situ transport measurements, we propose a theoretical model that captures our key results. The key conclusion of our model is that screening currents induced by the stray fields from the F layer are responsible for the measured nonreciprocal critical current. Thus, we determine the origin of the vortex diode effect, which builds a foundation for new device concepts.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37294-2

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