Spin currents in TFT-Josephson junction

The spin of the Cooper pair in a triplet superconductor provides a new degree of freedom in Josephson junction physics. This can be accessed by using a magnetically-active tunneling barrier, leading to a rich variety of unconventional Josephson effects. Because of the triplet state of the pairing wavefunction, triplet superconductor junctions in general also display a Josephson spin current, which can flow even when the equilibrium charge current is vanishing. Using the quasiclassical Green's function theory, we have examined the more general situation of a magnetically-active barrier which does not conserve the spin of a tunneling Cooper-pair. We demonstrate that the Josephson spin currents on either side of the barrier need not be identical, with the magnitude, sign and orientation all allowed to differ. Not only do our calculations enhance the physical understanding of transport through triplet superconductor junctions, but they also open the possibility of novel spintronic Josephson devices.