Probe of spin dynamics in superconducting NbN thin films via spin pumping

The emerging field of superconductor (SC) spintronics has attracted intensive attentions recently. Many fantastic spin dependent properties in SC have been discovered, including the observation of large magnetoresistance, long spin lifetimes and the giant spin Hall effect in SC, as well as spin supercurrent in Josephson junctions, etc. Regarding the spin dynamic in SC films, few studies has been reported yet. Here, we report the investigation of the spin dynamics in an s-wave superconducting NbN film via spin pumping from an adjacent insulating ferromagnet GdN layer. A profound coherence peak of the Gilbert damping is observed slightly below the superconducting critical temperature of the NbN layer, which is consistent with recent theoretical studies. Our results further indicate that spin pumping could be a powerful tool for investigating the spin dynamics in 2D crystalline superconductors.
11 pages, 4 figures, and SI