  By converting conventional spin-singlet Cooper pairs to polarized
spin-triplet pairs, it is possible to sustain long-ranged spin-polarized
supercurrents flowing through strongly polarized ferromagnets. Obtaining such a
conversion via spin-orbit interactions, rather than magnetic inhomogeneities,
has recently been explored in the literature. A challenging aspect with regard
to experimental detection has been that in order for Rashba spin-orbit
interactions, present e.g. at interfaces due to inversion symmetry breaking, to
generate such long-ranged supercurrents, an out-of-plane component of the
magnetization is required. This limits the choice of materials and can induce
vortices in the superconducting region complicating the interpretation of
measurements. Therefore, it would be desirable to identify a way in which
Rashba spin-orbit interactions can induce long-ranged supercurrents for purely
in-plane rotations of the magnetization. Here, we show that this is possible in
a lateral Josephson junction where two superconducting electrodes are placed in
contact with a ferromagnetic film via two thin, heavy normal metals. The
magnitude of the supercurrent in such a setup becomes tunable by the in-plane
magnetization angle when using only a single magnetic layer. These results
could provide a new and simpler way to generate controllable spin-polarized
supercurrents than previous experiments which utilized complicated magnetically
textured Josephson junctions.

Superconductivity