Rashba-controlled emergence and reversal of critical-field anisotropy in p-wave magnet--superconductor hybrids
Abstract
We show that tuning Rashba spin-orbit coupling can change the in-plane field direction along which an s-wave superconductor is most susceptible to Zeeman depairing. We consider a two-dimensional s-wave superconductor subject to an odd-parity exchange field induced by a p-wave magnet. Without Rashba coupling, the out-of-plane exchange field enhances the in-plane critical field but leaves its angular response exactly isotropic, despite the anisotropic magnetic spin texture. Minimizing the Bogoliubov--de Gennes grand potential over uniform singlet pairing, we find that increasing Rashba coupling first generates and then reverses the principal-axis critical-field contrast, switching the minimum-critical-field direction by 90∘. Equal principal-axis fields at the intervening compensation point coexist with residual angular modulation. We interpret the reversal through competing momentum-dependent depairing contributions from the magnetic and Rashba spin textures, while the on-site singlet pairing channel remains unchanged. Direction-dependent discontinuous collapses of the order parameter further shape the critical-field curves. These results identify a tunable directional paramagnetic response within the uniform-pairing sector. In heterostructures with sufficient electrostatic tunability of interfacial Rashba coupling, this reversal would enable gate control of the easy-depairing axis without reorienting the magnetic texture.
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BibTeX
@misc{cheng2026rashbacontrolled,
title = {{Rashba-controlled emergence and reversal of critical-field anisotropy in p-wave magnet--superconductor hybrids}},
author = {Rui-Xiang Cheng and Zhao Gong and Dong-Hui Xu and Chui-Zhen Chen},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2610.27499},
eprint = {2610.27499},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.27499},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Rashba-controlled emergence and reversal of critical-field anisotropy in p-wave magnet--superconductor hybrids
AU - Rui-Xiang Cheng
AU - Zhao Gong
AU - Dong-Hui Xu
AU - Chui-Zhen Chen
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/20
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2610.27499
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.27499
AB - We show that tuning Rashba spin-orbit coupling can change the in-plane field direction along which an s-wave superconductor is most susceptible to Zeeman depairing. We consider a two-dimensional s-wave superconductor subject to an odd-parity exchange field induced by a p-wave magnet. Without Rashba coupling, the out-of-plane exchange field enhances the in-plane critical field but leaves its angular response exactly isotropic, despite the anisotropic magnetic spin texture. Minimizing the Bogoliubov--de Gennes grand potential over uniform singlet pairing, we find that increasing Rashba coupling first generates and then reverses the principal-axis critical-field contrast, switching the minimum-critical-field direction by 90^∘. Equal principal-axis fields at the intervening compensation point coexist with residual angular modulation. We interpret the reversal through competing momentum-dependent depairing contributions from the magnetic and Rashba spin textures, while the on-site singlet pairing channel remains unchanged. Direction-dependent discontinuous collapses of the order parameter further shape the critical-field curves. These results identify a tunable directional paramagnetic response within the uniform-pairing sector. In heterostructures with sufficient electrostatic tunability of interfacial Rashba coupling, this reversal would enable gate control of the easy-depairing axis without reorienting the magnetic texture.
ER -