Photoinduced valley-dependent equal-spin Andreev reflection in Ising superconductor junction

The Ising spin-orbit coupling could give rise to the spin-triplet Cooper pairs and equal-spin Andreev reflection (AR) in Ising superconductors. Here we theoretically study the valley-dependent equal-spin AR in a ferromagnet/Ising superconductor junction with a circularly polarized light applied to the ferromagnet. Because of the spin-triplet Cooper pairs and the optical irradiation, eight kinds of AR processes appear in the junction, including equal-spin AR and normal AR, the strengths and properties of which strongly depend on the valley degree of freedom. The AR probabilities for the incident electron from the two valleys exhibit certain symmetry with respect to the magnetization angle and the effective energy of light. The equal-spin AR and normal AR present different features and resonant behaviors near the superconducting gap edges. Due to equal-spin-triplet Cooper pairs, not only charge supercurrent but also spin supercurrent can transport in the Ising superconductors. The differential spin conductance for electron injecting from the two valleys can be controlled by the circularly polarized light.

Automated summary

This article studies the valley-dependent equal-spin Andreev reflection in a ferromagnet/Ising superconductor junction, with circularly polarized light applied to the ferromagnet. The combination of spin-triplet Cooper pairs and optical irradiation results in eight types of AR processes in the junction, including equal-spin and normal AR, which strongly depend on the valley degree of freedom. The AR probabilities for electrons from different valleys show symmetry with respect to the magnetization angle and effective energy of light. The differential spin conductance of electrons injected from different valleys can be controlled by circularly polarized light.