Long-range spin current driven by superconducting phase difference in a Josephson junction with double layer ferromagnets

We theoretically study spin current through ferromagnet (F) in a Josephson junction composed of s-wave superconductors and two layers of ferromagnets. Using quasiclassical theory, we show that the long-range spin current can be driven by the superconducting phase difference without voltage drop. The origin of this spin current is due to spin-triplet Cooper pairs (STCs) formed by electrons of equal-spin, which are induced by proximity effect inside the F. We find that the spin current carried by the STCs exhibits long-range propagation in the F even where the Josephson charge current is practically zero. We also show that this spin current persists over a remarkably longer distance than the ordinary spin current carried by spin polarized conduction electrons in the F. Our results thus indicate the promising potential of Josephson junctions based on multilayer ferromagnets for spintronics applications with long-range propagating spin current.
Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, to be published in Phys. Rev. Lett