Order parameter quantum fluctuations in a two-dimensional system of mesoscopic Josephson junctions

The boson lattice Hubbard model is used to study the role of quantum fluctuations of the phase and local density of the superfluid component in establishing a global superconducting state for a system of mesoscopic Josephson junctions or grains. The quantum Monte Carlo method is used to calculate the density of the superfluid component and fluctuations in the number of particles at sites of the two-dimensional lattice for various average site occupation numbers n ₀ (i.e., number of Cooper pairs per grain). For a system of strongly interacting bosons, the phase boundary of the ordered superconducting state lies above the corresponding boundary for its quasiclassical limit—the quantum XY-model—and approaches the latter as n ₀ increases. When the boson interaction is weak in the boson Hubbard model (i.e., the quantum fluctuations of the phase are small), the relative fluctuations of the order parameter modulus are significant when n ₀<10, while quantum fluctuations in the phase are significant when n ₀<8; this determines the region of mesoscopic behavior of the system. Comparison of the results of numerical modeling with theoretical calculations show that mean-field theory yields a qualitatively correct estimate of the difference between the phase diagrams of the quantum XY-model and the Hubbard model. For a quantitative estimate of this difference the free energy and thermodynamic averages of the Hubbard model are expanded in powers of 1/n ₀ using the method of functional integration. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 113, 261–277 (January 1998)     

New model for systems of mesoscopic Josephson junctions

Quantum fluctuations of the phases of the order parameter in two-dimensional arrays of mesoscopic Josephson junctions and their effect on the destruction of superconductivity in the system are investigated by means of a quantum-cosine model that is free of the incorrect application of the phase operator. The proposed model employs trigonometric phase operators and makes it possible to study arrays of small superconducting granules, pores containing superfluid helium, or Josephson junctions in which the average number of particles n ₀ (effective bosons, He atoms, and so on) is small, and the standard approach employing the phase operator and the particle number operator as conjugate operators is inapplicable. There is a large difference in the phase diagrams between arrays of macroscopic and mesoscopic objects for n ₀<5 and U<J (U is the characteristic interaction energy of the particles per granule and J is the Josephson coupling constant). Re-entrant superconductivity phenomena are discussed. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 66, No. 10, 649–654 (25 November 1997)     

Quantum coherence in a superfluid Josephson junction

We report a new kind of experiment in which we take an array of nanoscale apertures that form a superfluid (4)He Josephson junction and apply quantum phase gradients directly along the array. We observe collective coherent behaviors from aperture elements, leading to quantum interference. Connections to superconducting and Bose-Einstein condensate Josephson junctions as well as phase coherence among the superfluid aperture array are discussed.     

Coulomb effects in a ballistic one-channel S-S-S device

We develop a theory of Coulomb oscillations in superconducting devices in the limit of small charging energy E _C ≪Δ. We consider a small superconducting grain with finite capacitance connected to two superconducting leads by nearly ballistic single-channel quantum point contacts. The temperature is assumed to be very low, so there are no single-particle excitations on the grain. Then the behavior of the system can be described in terms of the quantum mechanics of the superconducting phase on the island. The Josephson energy as a function of this phase has two minima that become degenerate when the phase difference on the leads equals to π, the tunneling amplitude between them being controlled by the gate voltage on the grain. We find the Josephson current and its low-frequency fluctuations, and predict their periodic dependence with period 2e on the induced charge Q _x =CV _g . Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 114, 640–653 (August 1998) Published in English in the original Russian journal. Reproduced here with stylistic changes by the Translation Editor     

Quantum phase diagram of granular superconducting quantum dots array

We study the quantum phase diagram of granular superconducting quantum dots (GSQD) array. We implement the physics of granularity by considering site dependent Josephson couplings, on-site charging energies and the intersite interactions. We predict dimer density wave and staggered phases at the insulating state for higher order commensurability. Several parts of the quantum phase diagram of GSQD are in contrast with the clean superconducting quantum dots array. We also obtain the superconducting phase of GSQD. We develop the theory for weak tunneling conductance and the Coulomb energy is smaller than the superconducting gap.     

Direct observation of tunneling and nonlinear self-trapping in a single bosonic Josephson junction

We report on the first realization of a single bosonic Josephson junction, implemented by two weakly linked Bose-Einstein condensates in a double-well potential. In order to fully investigate the nonlinear tunneling dynamics we measure the density distribution in situ and deduce the evolution of the relative phase between the two condensates from interference fringes. Our results verify the predicted nonlinear generalization of tunneling oscillations in superconducting and superfluid Josephson junctions. Additionally, we confirm a novel nonlinear effect known as macroscopic quantum self-trapping, which leads to the inhibition of large amplitude tunneling oscillations.     

Quantum phase fluctuations in an array of mesoscopic Josephson junctions

The effects of macroscopic ordering in a system of mesoscopic Josephson junctions are investigated by the quantum Monte Carlo simulation technique (using path integrals). The phase diagram of the system in the T-q plane (q is the dimensionless quantum parameter , where J is the Josephson coupling constant and C ₀ is the self-capacitance of the granules) is investigated in detail. An analysis of the behavior of the relative root-mean-square phase shifts, as well as the helicity and vorticity moduli, demonstrates the need to employ these two quantities as the parameters which most completely reflect the character of the topological phase transition in the quantum system under consideration. Two methods are proposed for calculating the vorticity modulus: 1) a modification of the Gibbs-Bogolyubov variational principle for calculating the free energy change in response to alteration of the type of boundary conditions; 2) calculation of the response to the introduction of an infinitesimal magnetic flux at some point in the system. The calculations confirm the absence of reentrant melting and phase transitions of a non-Kosterlitz-Thouless type in the region of strong quantum phase fluctuations q>1. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 39, 1513–1519 (September 1997)     

Ground state properties of an asymmetric Hubbard model for unbalanced ultracold fermionic quantum gases

In order to describe unbalanced ultracold fermionic quantum gases on optical lattices in a harmonic trap, we investigate an attractive (U < 0) asymmetric (t_↑≠t_↓) Hubbard model with a Zeeman-like magnetic field. In view of the model's spatial inhomogeneity, we focus in this paper on the solution at Hartree-Fock level. The Hartree-Fock Hamiltonian is diagonalized with particular emphasis on superfluid phases. For the special case of spin-independent hopping we analytically determine the number of solutions of the resulting self-consistency equations and the nature of the possible ground states at weak coupling. We present the phase diagram of the homogeneous system and numerical results for unbalanced Fermi-mixtures obtained within the local density approximation. In particular, we find a fascinating shell structure, involving normal and superfluid phases. For the general case of spin-dependent hopping we calculate the density of states and the possible superfluid phases in the ground state. In particular, we find a new magnetized superfluid phase.     

Low Temperature Phase Diagrams¶of Fermionic Lattice Systems

We consider fermionic lattice systems with Hamiltonian H=H ^{(0)}+λH _Q , where H ^{(0)} is diagonal in the occupation number basis, while H _Q is a suitable “quantum perturbation”. We assume that H ^{(0)} is a finite range Hamiltonian with finitely many ground states and a suitable Peierls condition for excitations, while H _Q is a finite range or exponentially decaying Hamiltonian that can be written as a sum of even monomials in the fermionic creation and annihilation operators. Mapping the d dimensional quantum system onto a classical contour system on a d+1 dimensional lattice, we use standard Pirogov–Sinai theory to show that the low temperature phase diagram of the quantum system is a small perturbation of the zero temperature phase diagram of the classical system, provided λ is sufficiently small. Particular attention is paid to the sign problems arising from the fermionic nature of the quantum particles. As a simple application of our methods, we consider the Hubbard model with an additional nearest neighbor repulsion. For this model, we rigorously establish the existence of a paramagnetic phase with commensurate staggered charge order for the narrow band case at sufficiently low temperatures. Received: 23 December 1996/ Accepted: 7 April 1999     

Macroscopic quantum phenomena in superfluids and superconductors

In this paper I will discuss the common macroscopic quantum phenomena in the three superfluid systems known in condensed matter, the superconducting state of a metal, the superfluid phase of liquid⁴He, and the superfluid phases of liquid³He. The discussed phenomena will be persistent currents and their decay, critical velocities and critical magnetic fields, quantization of magnetic flux and of circulation, the two-dimensional flux and vortex lattices, and eventually the Josephson effects.Invited paper at the International Conference on Macroscopic Quantum Phenomena, Smolenice Castle, Czechoslovakia, September 18–22, 1989.     

Dynamics of quantum phase transition in an array of Josephson junctions

We study the dynamics of the Mott insulator-superfluid quantum phase transition in a periodic 1D array of Josephson junctions. We show that crossing the critical point at a finite rate with a quench time tau(Q) induces finite quantum fluctuations of the current around the loop proportional to tau(-1/6)(Q). This scaling could be experimentally verified with an array of weakly coupled Bose-Einstein condensates or superconducting grains.     

Dissipation-driven phase transition in two-dimensional Josephson arrays

We analyze the interplay of dissipative and quantum effects in the proximity of a quantum phase transition. The prototypical system is a resistively shunted two-dimensional Josephson junction array, studied by means of an advanced Fourier path-integral Monte Carlo algorithm. The reentrant superconducting-to-normal phase transition driven by quantum fluctuations, recently discovered in the limit of infinite shunt resistance, persists for moderate dissipation strength but disappears in the limit of small resistance. For large quantum coupling our numerical results show that, beyond a critical dissipation strength, the superconducting phase is always stabilized at sufficiently low temperature. Our phase diagram explains recent experimental findings.     

Low-temperature phase behaviour of the binary system water–oxyethylated glycerol of polymerization degree n = 5 and intermolecular interactions in the system

In this paper, phase and glass transitions occurring in a binary system water–oxyethylated glycerol of polymerization degree n = 5 (OEG _{n =5}) are studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) in the concentration range 0–100% (w/w) at temperatures lower than 273 K. The supplemented phase diagram of this system has been constructed for the first time. Concentration and temperature regions for the existence of a completely amorphous state and a heterogeneous crystalline/amorphous state have been determined. Processes of formation of crystalline and amorphous phases in the water–OEG _{n =5} system are studied by optical cryomicroscopy, both during cooling and subsequent heating. The cryomicroscopic data confirm the conclusions derived from the DSC data analysis. The number of strongly and weakly bound water molecules per OEG _{n =5} molecule has been calculated on the basis of the analysis of the supplemented phase diagram of the water–OEG _{n =5} system. The hydration number of an OEG _{n =5} molecule has been also determined by infrared spectroscopy.     

Reentrant behavior of the phase stiffness in Josephson junction arrays

The phase diagram of a 2D Josephson junction array with large substrate resistance, described by a quantum XY model, is studied by means of Fourier path-integral Monte Carlo. A genuine Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition is found up to a threshold value g( small star, filled ) of the quantum coupling, beyond which no phase coherence is established. Slightly below g( small star, filled ) the phase stiffness shows a reentrant behavior with temperature, in connection with a low-temperature disappearance of the superconducting phase, driven by strong nonlinear quantum fluctuations.     

Thermodynamics of a vortex system in a thin superconducting film with radiation defects

The effect of radiation defects on the thermodynamics of a system of Pearl vortices in a thin superconducting film is examined. The scenario for a Kosterlitz-Thouless transition in this system is shown to depend on the defect concentration n _d . At low concentrations, the transition takes place continuously, while at high concentrations, a range of temperatures exists in which there are two metastable states. The concentrations of free vortices and of vortices captured by defects are calculated as functions of temperature for different defect concentrations n _d . A phase diagram is constructed for the vortex system in the n _d −T plane. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 116, 1081–1090 (September 1999)     

Phase oscillations in superfluid 3 He - B weak links

Oscillations in quantum phase about a mean value of π, observed across micropores connecting two ³ He - B baths, are explained in a Ginzburg-Landau phenomenology. The dynamics arises from the Josephson phase relation,the interbath continuity equation, and helium boundary conditions. The pores are shown to act as Josephson tunnel junctions, and the dynamic variables are the inter bath phase difference and fractional difference in superfluid density at micropores. The system maps onto a non-rigid, momentum-shortened pendulum, with inverted-orientation oscillations about a vertical tilt angle φ = π, and other modes are predicted. Received 19 March 2001     

Quantum glass transition in a periodic long-range Josephson array

We show that the ground state of a periodic long-range Josephson array frustrated by a magnetic field is a glass for sufficiently large Josephson energies despite the absence of quenched disorder. Like superconductors, this glass state has non-zero phase stiffness and Meissner response; for lower Josephson energies the glass “melts” and the ground state loses its phase stiffness and becomes insulating. We find the critical scaling behavior near this quantum phase transition: the excitation gap vanishes as (J−J _c )², and the frequency-dependent magnetic susceptibility behaves as . Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 116, 1450–1461 (October 1999) Published in English in the original Russian journal. Reproduced here with stylistic changes by the Translation Editor.     

Quantum melting of mesoscopic clusters

The phase diagram of a two-dimensional mesoscopic system of charges or dipoles, whose realizations could be electrons in a semiconductor quantum dot or indirect excitons in a system of two vertically coupled quantum dots, is investigated. Quantum calculations using ab initio Monte Carlo integration along trajectories determine the properties of such objects in the temperature-quantum de-Boer-parameter plane. At zero (sufficiently low) temperature, as the quantum fluctuations of the particles increase, two types of quantum disordering phenomena occur with increasing quantum de Boer parameter q: first, for q∼10⁻⁵ the systems transform into a radially ordered but orientationally disordered state wherein various shells of the “atom” rotate relative to one another. For much larger q∼0.1, a transition occurs to a disordered state (a superfluid in the case of a system of bosons). Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 41, 1856–1862 (October 1999)     

Pseudogap phase formation in the crossover from Bose-Einstein condensation to BCS superconductivity

A phase diagram for a 2D metal with variable carrier density has been derived. It consists of a normal phase, where the order parameter is absent: a so-called “abnormal normal” phase where this parameter is also absent but the mean number of composite bosons (bound pairs) exceeds the mean number of free fermions; a pseudogap phase where the absolute value of the order parameter gradually increases but its phase is a random value, and finally a superconducting (here Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless) phase. The characteristic transition temperatures between these phases are found. The chemical potential and paramagnetic susceptibility behavior as functions of the fermion density and the temperature are also studied. An attempt is made to qualitatively compare the resulting phase diagram with the features of underdoped high-T _c superconducting compounds above their critical temperature. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 115, 1243–1262 (April 1999) Published in English in the original Russian journal. Reproduced here with stylistic changes by the Translation Editor     

Helicity modulus, quantum fluctuations, and superconducting transition in a Josephson junction, array

The effect of quantum fluctuations on a phase transition in a two-dimensional Josephson junction array is studied in terms of the two-dimensional XY model. A self-consistent harmonic approximation is used to calculate the linear response of the system to a perturbation by a uniform phase gradient (helicity modulus γ) as a function of dimensionless temperature Θ and of a quantum parameter q appearing due to the finite capacitance of each junction. Calculation of this quantity has permitted us to find the dependence of the Kosterlitz-Thouless transition temperature on q, which within a broad range of q variation is in agreement with the results of a quantum Monte Carlo simulation. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 39, 818–822 (May 1997)