Interplay between superconductivity and antiferromagnetism in a multilayered system

Based on a microscopic model, we study the interplay between superconductivity and antiferromagnetism in a multilayered system, where two superconductors are separated by an antiferromagnetic region. Within a self-consistent mean-field theory, this system is solved numerically. We find that the antiferromagnetism in the middle layers profoundly affects the supercurrent flowing across the junction, while the phase difference across the junction influences the development of antiferromagnetism in the middle layers. This study may not only shed new light on material design and material engineering, but it may also bring important insights to building Josephson-junction-based quantum devices, such as superconducting quantum interference devices and superconducting qubits.