The interfacial coupling of two materials with different ordered phases, such as a superconductor (S) and a ferromagnet (F), is driving new fundamental physics and innovative applications. For example, the creation of spin-filter Josephson junctions and the demonstration of triplet supercurrents have suggested the potential of a dissipationless version of spintronics based on unconventional superconductivity. Here we demonstrate evidence for active quantum applications of S-F-S junctions, through the observation of macroscopic quantum tunnelling in Josephson junctions with GdN ferromagnetic insulator barriers. We show a clear transition from thermal to quantum regime at a crossover temperature of about 100mK at zero magnetic field in junctions, which present clear signatures of unconventional superconductivity. Following previous demonstration of passive S-F-S phase shifters in a phase qubit, our result paves the way to the active use of spin filter Josephson systems in quantum hybrid circuits.

Macroscopic quantum tunnelling in spin filter ferromagnetic Josephson junctions / Massarotti, Davide; Pal, A.; G. Rotoli, G.; Longobardi, L.; Blamire, M.; Tafuri, Francesco. - In: NATURE COMMUNICATIONS. - ISSN 2041-1723. - 6:(2015), pp. 7376-7379. [10.1038/ncomms8376]

Macroscopic quantum tunnelling in spin filter ferromagnetic Josephson junctions

MASSAROTTI, DAVIDE
;
Tafuri, Francesco
2015

Abstract

The interfacial coupling of two materials with different ordered phases, such as a superconductor (S) and a ferromagnet (F), is driving new fundamental physics and innovative applications. For example, the creation of spin-filter Josephson junctions and the demonstration of triplet supercurrents have suggested the potential of a dissipationless version of spintronics based on unconventional superconductivity. Here we demonstrate evidence for active quantum applications of S-F-S junctions, through the observation of macroscopic quantum tunnelling in Josephson junctions with GdN ferromagnetic insulator barriers. We show a clear transition from thermal to quantum regime at a crossover temperature of about 100mK at zero magnetic field in junctions, which present clear signatures of unconventional superconductivity. Following previous demonstration of passive S-F-S phase shifters in a phase qubit, our result paves the way to the active use of spin filter Josephson systems in quantum hybrid circuits.
2015
Macroscopic quantum tunnelling in spin filter ferromagnetic Josephson junctions / Massarotti, Davide; Pal, A.; G. Rotoli, G.; Longobardi, L.; Blamire, M.; Tafuri, Francesco. - In: NATURE COMMUNICATIONS. - ISSN 2041-1723. - 6:(2015), pp. 7376-7379. [10.1038/ncomms8376]
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11588/662138
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