- Accepted Paper
Anomalous spin-pumping behavior of half-metallic ferromagnet/-wave superconductor heterostructures
Phys. Rev. Materials - Accepted 26 August, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/t7vq-dl3f
Phys. Rev. Materials - Accepted 26 August, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/t7vq-dl3f
Spin-pumping experiments in superconductor/ferromagnet heterostructures, which probe spin-sinking by the superconductor, have revealed a variety of complex behaviors. Most experimental studies have focused on conventional s-wave superconductors combined with metallic or insulating ferromagnets. Here, we study a d-wave superconductor paired with a half-metallic ferromagnet, in epitaxial YBa2Cu3O7-/La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 heterostructures with two crystalline orientations: one in which YBCO is c-axis oriented, and the other in which YBCO grows along the (103) direction. Using ferromagnetic resonance (FMR), we probe the temperature-dependent Gilbert damping coefficient α. For (103) heterostructures, α(T) initially decreases below Tc, but then increases at lower temperatures, eventually exceeding normal-state levels. This behavior can be understood in terms of the opening of the superconducting gap and spin transport via nodal quasiparticles, whose contribution is enhanced when the ab-plane of YBCO is exposed at the interface. In stark contrast, c-axis heterostructures exhibit a pronounced enhancement of α(T) below TC, peaking at ~0.65–0.7TC before decaying. This anomaly suggests the dominance of interfacial Andreev bound states, arising from a locally suppressed superconducting order parameter due to proximity effects with the half-metallic LSMO.
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