  We show that a magnetic strip on top of a superconducting strip magnetized in
a specified direction may considerably enhance the critical current in the
sample. At fixed magnetization of the magnet we observed diode effect - the
value of the critical current depends on the direction of the transport
current. We explain these effects by a influence of the nonuniform magnetic
field induced by the magnet on the current distribution in the superconducting
strip. The experiment on a hybrid Nb/Co structure confirmed the predicted
variation of the critical current with a changing value of magnetization and
direction of the transport current.
