Current-carrying Andreev bound states in a superconductor-ferromagnet proximity system -: art. no. 134519

We study the ground-state properties of a ferromagnet-superconductor heterostructure on the basis of a quasiclassical theory. We have solved the Eilenberger equations together with Maxwell's equation fully self-consistently and found that due to the proximity effect a Fulde-Ferrel-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO)-like state is realized in such a system. Moreover, this state has oscillations of the pairing amplitude in either one or two directions, depending on the exchange splitting and thickness of the ferromagnet. In particular, using semiclassical arguments (Bohr-Sommerfeld quantization rule) we show that owing to the presence of the Andreev bound states in the ferromagnet, a spontaneous current in the ground state is generated as a hallmark of the FFLO state in the direction parallel to the interface. We also discuss the effects of the elastic disorder and finite transparency of the interface on the properties of the FFLO state in the system.