S/F hybrids | laboratorioattanasio

S/F hybrids: Interplay between superconductivity and magnetism

Proximity effect in S/F systems is a very active field of research, due both to the rich physics originated from the coexistence of two competing orderings, and to the numerous suggestions for the engineering applications of these heterostructures.

The research activity of the group is devoted to the investigation of the superconducting properties of artificial superconductor/ferromagnetic (S/F) heterostructures based on conventional metals. In particular in the recent years the attention focused mainly on the physical phenomena related to the inhomogeneous character of the superconducting order parameter in these systems.

C Cirillo, S Voltan, E A Ilyina, J M Hernández, A García-Santiago, J Aarts, and C Attanasio, New J. Phys. 19 ( 2017 ) 023037
S. Voltan, C. Cirillo, H. J. Snijders, K. Lahabi, A. Garcia-Santiago, J. M. Hernandez, C. Attanasio, and J. Aarts, Emergence of the stripe-domain phase in patterned permalloy ﬁlms, Phys. Rev. B 94, 094406 (2016)
S. Pagano, N. Martucciello, F. Bobba, G. Carapella, C. Attanasio, C. Cirillo, R. Cristiano, M. Lisitskiy, M. Ejrnaes, G. P. Pepe, and L. Parlato, Proposal for a Nanoscale Superconductive Memory, IEEE Trans. Supercond. 27, 1801004 (2017)
F. Romeo, F. Giubileo, R. Citro, A. Di Bartolomeo, C. Attanasio, C. Cirillo, A. Polcari, P. Romano, Resonant Andreev Spectroscopy in normal-Metal/thin-ferromagnet/Superconductor Device: Theory and Application, Sci. Rep. 5, 17544 (2015).
R. Loria, C. Meneghini, K. Torokhtii, L. Tortora, N. Pompeo, C. Cirillo, C. Attanasio, E. Silva, Robustness of the 0-π transition against compositional and structural ageing in superconductor/ferromagnetic/superconductor heterostructures, Phis. Rev. B 92, 184106 (2015).
N. Pompeo, K. Torokhtii, , A.V. Samokhvalov, E.A. Ilyina, C. Cirillo, C. Attanasio, A.I. Buzdin, and E. Silva, Thermodynamic nature of the 0–π quantum transition in superconductor/ferromagnet/superconductor trilayers, Phys. Rev. B , 064510 (2014).
S.L. Prischepa, M.Yu. Kupriyanov, C. Cirillo, C. Attanasio. Magnetic Memory Effect in Type-II Superconductor/Ferromagnet Bilayers. Superconductor Science and Technology, , 055024, 2014.
C. Attanasio, C. Cirillo, Quasiparticle relaxation mechanisms in superconductor/ferromagnet bilayers, J. Phys.: Condens. Matter , 083201, 2012.
K. Torokhtii, C. Attanasio, C. Cirillo, E.A. Ilyina, N. Pompeo, S. Sarti, E. Silva. Vortex motion in Nb/PdNi/Nb trilayers, Physica C , 140, 2012.
E.A. Ilyina, J.M. Hernandez, A. Garcia-Santiago, C. Cirillo, C. Attanasio, Physica C , 140, 2012.
P. Romano, A. Polcari, C. Cirillo, C. Attanasio. Non-monotonic behaviour of the superconducting order parameter in Nb/PdNi bilayers observed through point contact spectroscopy, Superconductors Science and Technology , 095017, 2012.
V. N. Kushnir, S. L. Prischepa, C. Cirillo, A. Vecchione, C. Attanasio, M. Yu. Kupriyanov, J. Aarts. Multiple Order Parameter Configurations in Superconductor/Ferromagnet Multilayers. Physical Review B , 214512, 2011.
Vecchione, R. Fittipaldi, C. Cirillo, M. Hesselberth, J. Aarts, S.L. Prischepa, V.N. Kushnir, M.Yu. Kupriyanov, C. Attanasio. X-ray Scattering Study of Interfacial Roughness in Nb/PdNi Multilayers. Surface Science , 1791, 2011.
C. Cirillo, V. Pagliarulo, H. Myoren, C. Bonavolontà, L. Parlato, G. P. Pepe, C. Attanasio, Quasiparticle energy relaxation times in NbN/CuNi nanostripes from critical velocity measurements Phys. Rev. B 84, 054536, 2011.
E.A. Ilyina, C. Cirillo, C. Attanasio, Quasiparticles relaxation processes in Nb/CuNi bilayers, Eur. Phys. J. B , 53, 2011.
C. Cirillo, S.L. Prischepa, M. Salvato, C. Attanasio, M. Hesselberth, and J. Aarts, Phys. Rev. B 72, 144511 (2005)
A. Angrisani Armenio, C. Cirillo, G. Iannone, S.L. Prischepa, and C. Attanasio, Phys. Rev. B 76, 24515 (2007)
C. Cirillo, A. Rusanov, C. Bell, and J. Aarts, Phys. Rev. B 75, 174510 (2007)
S.L. Prischepa, C. Cirillo, C. Bell, V.N. Kushnir, C. Attanasio, M.Y. Kupriyanov, JETP Lett. 88, 375 (2008)
C. Cirillo, C. Bell, G. Iannone, S.L. Prischepa, J. Aarts, C. Attanasio, Phys. Rev. B 80, 094510 (2009)

The experimental research activity was devoted to the so-called odd frequency triplet superconductivity, by depositing and characterizing hybrids consisting of spin-singlet superconductors interfaced to ferromagnets with inhomogeneous magnetization profile. The aim is to advance in the understanding of the mechanisms for the generation and control of spin-polarized supercurrents with the twofold goal of deepening the knowledge of fundamental physics and of designing new devices.

Recently, the attention was paid to non-centrosymmetric superconductors, systems lacking of the inversion symmetry in their crystal structure. This symmetry breaking induces an antisymmetric spin-orbit coupling (SOC) responsible of the splitting of Fermi surfaces with different spin directions. As a consequence, exotic properties are expected/observed for these systems, in particular the resulting superconducting order parameter may be a mixture of spin-singlet and spin-triplet components. The reseach activity focused on the realization of the first superconducting films of NbRe.

“Non-centrosymmetric superconductors: Introduction and overview”

E. Bauer and M. Sigrist (Springer, London)

M. Caputo, C. Cirillo, and C. Attanasio, Appl. Phys. Lett. 111, 192601 (2017), NbRe as candidate material for fast single photon detection
C. Cirillo, G. Carapella, M. Salvato, R. Arpaia, M. Caputo, and C. Attanasio, Phys. Rev. B 94, 104512 (2016), Superconducting properties of noncentrosymmetric NbRe thin ﬁlms probed by transport and tunneling experiments

S/F hybrids: Interplay between superconductivity and magnetism

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