Interference effects induced by Andreev bound states in a hybrid nanostructure composed by a quantum dot coupled to ferromagnetic and superconductor leads (1409.5390v1)

Abstract: In this work, it is considered a nanostructure composed by a quantum dot coupled to two ferromagnets and a superconductor. The transport properties of this system are studied within a generalized mean-field approximation taking into account proximity effects and spin-flip correlations within the quantum dot. It is shown that the zero-bias transmittance for the co-tunneling between the ferromagnetic leads presents a dip whose height depends on the relative orientation of the magnetizations. When the superconductor is coupled to the system, electron-hole correlations between different spin states leads to a resonance in the place of the dip appearing in the transmittance. Such an effect is accompanied by two anti-resonances explained by a leakage of conduction channels from the co-tunneling to the Andreev transport. In the non-equilibrium regime, correlations within the quantum dot introduce a dependence of the resonance condition on the finite bias applied to the ferromagnetic leads. However, it is still possible to observe signatures of the same interference effect in the electrical current.