Effect of a spin-active interface on proximity-induced superconductivity in topological insulators

Christopher Triola, E. Rossi, and Alexander V. Balatsky
Phys. Rev. B 89, 165309 – Published 21 April 2014

Abstract

We examine the effect of a spin-active interface on the symmetry of proximity-induced superconducting pairing amplitudes in topological insulators. We develop a model to investigate the leading-order contribution to the pairing amplitude considering three different kinds of spin-active interfaces: (i) those that induce spin-dependent scattering phases, (ii) those that flip the spin of incident electrons, and (iii) interfaces that both induce spin-dependent phases and flip the spins of incident electrons. We find that in cases (i) and (iii) odd-frequency triplet pairing is induced in the TI while for case (ii) no odd-frequency pairing is induced to leading order. We compare our results to those for normal metals and ferromagnetic materials finding that the nontrivial spin structure of the TI leads to qualitatively different behavior.

  • Figure
  • Received 1 February 2014

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.89.165309

©2014 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Christopher Triola1, E. Rossi1, and Alexander V. Balatsky2,3

  • 1Department of Physics, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia 23187, USA
  • 2Institute for Materials Science, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA
  • 3Nordic Institute for Theoretical Physics (NORDITA), Roslagstullsbacken 23, S-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden

Article Text (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand

References (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand
Issue

Vol. 89, Iss. 16 — 15 April 2014

Reuse & Permissions
Access Options
Author publication services for translation and copyediting assistance advertisement

Authorization Required


×
×

Images

×

Sign up to receive regular email alerts from Physical Review B

Log In

Cancel
×

Search


Article Lookup

Paste a citation or DOI

Enter a citation
×