Spin-relaxation and magnetoresistance in FM/SC/FM tunnel junctions

The effect of spin relaxation on tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) in a ferromagnet/superconductor/ferromagnet (FM/SC/FM) double tunnel junction is theoretically studied. The spin accumulation in SC is determined by balancing of the spin-injection rate and the spin-relaxation rate. In the superconducting state, the spin-relaxation time tau(s) becomes longer with decreasing temperature, resulting in a rapid increase of TMR. The TMR of FM/SC/FM junctions provides a useful probe to extract information about spin-relaxation in superconductors. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.