Interplay between metastable magnetic domains and superconducting vortices in a ferromagnet–superconductor hybrid

Abstract

The interplay between superconductivity and magnetism has been a subject of significant interest for decades. While extensive research has focused on modifying the superconducting state through a magnetic domain as an independent variable, the manipulation of magnetic domains by the superconducting state has been relatively unexplored, primarily due to their higher stiffness compared to the energy associated with superconducting vortices. In this Letter, we demonstrate the manipulation of magnetic domains by thermally activated superconducting vortices in a ferromagnet/superconductor hybrid. We observe a reversible domain transition between metastable magnetic stripes and bubbles in a Nb/CeRu2Ga2B hybrid induced by vortex motion and the trapped field within the Nb superconducting film. The comparable Curie and superconducting critical temperatures and the presence of magnetic metastable states enable the magnetic domain changes driven by superconducting vortices in this hybrid system.