Since the discovery
of the long-range superconducting proximity
effect, the interaction between spin-triplet Cooper pairs and magnetic
structures such as domain walls and vortices has been the subject
of intense theoretical discussions, while the relevant experiments
remain scarce. We have developed nanostructured Josephson junctions
with highly controllable spin texture, based on a disk-shaped Nb/Co
bilayer. Here, the vortex magnetization of Co and the Cooper pairs
of Nb conspire to induce long-range triplet (LRT) superconductivity
in the ferromagnet. Surprisingly, the LRT correlations emerge in highly
localized (sub-80 nm) channels at the rim of the ferromagnet, despite
its trivial band structure. We show that these robust rim currents
arise from the magnetization texture acting as an effective spin–orbit
coupling, which results in spin accumulation at the bilayer–vacuum
boundary. Lastly, we demonstrate that by altering the spin texture
of a single ferromagnet, both 0 and π channels can be realized
in the same device.
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