Pairing Symmetry Conversion by Spin-Active Interfaces in Magnetic Normal-Metal-Superconductor Junctions

Abstract

We study the proximity-induced superconducting correlations in a normal metal connected to a superconductor when the interface between them is spin active and the normal metal is ballistic or diffusive. Remarkably, for any interface spin polarization there is a critical interface resistance, above which the conventional even-frequency proximity component vanishes completely at the chemical potential, while the odd-frequency component remains finite. We propose a way to unambiguously observe the odd-frequency component.