Superconducting spin valve as a sensitive probe of spin-orbit coupling anisotropy
Abstract
Spin-orbit coupling (SOC) plays a central role in modern condensed matter physics and is crucial for the development of spin-based devices and quantum technologies. In particular, the interplay between Rashba SOC (R-SOC), arising from structural inversion asymmetry, and Dresselhaus SOC (D-SOC), due to bulk inversion asymmetry, significantly influences spin coherence and manipulation in two-dimensional and topological systems. Disentangling these SOC components is essential for spintronics, superconducting spintronics, or topological superconductivity. In this study, we experimentally investigate in-plane low-bias conductance anisotropy in epitaxial Fe/MgO/V/MgO/Fe/Co junctions under varying temperature and magnetic field conditions. By applying a theoretical model that accounts for distinct R-SOC and D-SOC contributions, we interpret the observed anisotropy as a reliable method to disentangle these effects. Comparison between experiment and theory reveals a 5 % contribution of D-SOC to total SOC, attributed to periodic interfacial lattice mismatch defects confirmed by high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). Our findings offer a practical approach to isolate interfacial SOC components in superconducting spintronic systems with implications for engineering in spintronic and quantum devices, and provide further evidence of superconducting spin-triplet pairing in Fe/MgO/V-based superconductor/ferromagnet heterostructures.
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BibTeX
@misc{tuero2026superconducting,
title = {{Superconducting spin valve as a sensitive probe of spin-orbit coupling anisotropy}},
author = {Pablo Tuero and Andreas Costa and Maria Varela and Yuan Lu and Jaroslav Fabian and Farkhad G. Aliev},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2609.29244},
eprint = {2609.29244},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.29244},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Superconducting spin valve as a sensitive probe of spin-orbit coupling anisotropy
AU - Pablo Tuero
AU - Andreas Costa
AU - Maria Varela
AU - Yuan Lu
AU - Jaroslav Fabian
AU - Farkhad G. Aliev
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/24
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2609.29244
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.29244
AB - Spin-orbit coupling (SOC) plays a central role in modern condensed matter physics and is crucial for the development of spin-based devices and quantum technologies. In particular, the interplay between Rashba SOC (R-SOC), arising from structural inversion asymmetry, and Dresselhaus SOC (D-SOC), due to bulk inversion asymmetry, significantly influences spin coherence and manipulation in two-dimensional and topological systems. Disentangling these SOC components is essential for spintronics, superconducting spintronics, or topological superconductivity. In this study, we experimentally investigate in-plane low-bias conductance anisotropy in epitaxial Fe/MgO/V/MgO/Fe/Co junctions under varying temperature and magnetic field conditions. By applying a theoretical model that accounts for distinct R-SOC and D-SOC contributions, we interpret the observed anisotropy as a reliable method to disentangle these effects. Comparison between experiment and theory reveals a 5 % contribution of D-SOC to total SOC, attributed to periodic interfacial lattice mismatch defects confirmed by high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). Our findings offer a practical approach to isolate interfacial SOC components in superconducting spintronic systems with implications for engineering in spintronic and quantum devices, and provide further evidence of superconducting spin-triplet pairing in Fe/MgO/V-based superconductor/ferromagnet heterostructures.
ER -