Long range and highly tunable interaction between local spins coupled to a superconducting condensate
Interfacing magnetism with superconducting condensates is rapidly emerging as a viable route for the development of innovative quantum technologies. In this context, the development of rational design strategies to controllably tune the interaction between magnetic moments is crucial. In the metallic regime, the indirect interaction mediated by conduction electrons, the so-called RKKY coupling, has been proven to be remarkably fertile in creating and controlling magnetic phenomena. However, despite its potential, the possibility of using superconductivity to control the sign and the strength of indirect interactions between magnet moments remains largely unexplored. Here we address this problem at its ultimate limit, demonstrating the possibility of maximally tuning the interaction between local spins coupled through a superconducting condensate with atomic scale precision. By using Cr atoms coupled to superconducting Nb as a prototypical system, we use atomic manipulation techniques to precisely control the relative distance between local spins along different crystallographic directions while simultaneously sensing their coupling by scanning tunneling spectroscopy. Our results reveal the existence of highly anisotropic superconductor-mediated indirect couplings between the local spins, lasting up to very long distances, up to 12 times the lattice constant of Nb. Moreover, we demonstrate the possibility of controllably crossing a quantum phase transition by acting on the direction and interatomic distance between spins. The extremely high tunability provides novel opportunities for the realization of exotic phenomena such as topological superconductivity and the rational design of magneto-superconducting interfaces.