Meissner effect probing of odd-frequency triplet pairing in superconducting spin valves

Abstract

Superconducting correlations which are long ranged in magnetic systems have attracted much attention due to their spin-polarization properties and potential use in spintronic devices. Whereas experiments have demonstrated the slow decay of such correlations, it has proven more difficult to obtain a smoking gun signature of their odd-frequency character which is responsible, e.g., for their gapless behavior. Here we demonstrate that the magnetic susceptibility response of a normal metal in contact with a superconducting spin valve provides precisely this signature, namely, in the form of an anomalous positive Meissner effect, which may be tuned back to a conventional negative Meissner response simply by altering the magnetization configuration of the spin valve.