体超导铟对一维锌超导纳米线超导电性的抑制效应

文章细致研究了超导体铟／一维锌超导纳米线阵列／超导体铟夹心结构的超导电性．实验发现，当锌纳米线的长度在2—6μm、直径等于40nm时，宏观尺寸的超导体铟电极对中间的锌纳米线的超导电性具有反常的抑制作用,即当铟处在超导态时，中间的锌纳米线则停留在正常态．如果施加一个磁场，使超导体铟电极变为正常态，锌纳米线则恢复其超导电性，这种奇异的现象与超导电极材料的类型及锌纳米线的直径和长度有关。     

Specific heat of superconducting Zn nanowires

We present heat capacity measurements on crystalline Zn nanowires with diameters of 230 and 23 nm, bracketing the superconducting coherence length of 155 nm. Transport measurements on superconducting nanowires have found a crossover from three-dimensional to one-dimensional behavior as the wire diameter was reduced below the coherence length. In contrast, the normalized heat capacity peak of the 23 nm Zn nanowires is found to be nearly identical to that of 230 nm wires and bulk Zn, indicating their thermodynamic properties remain three dimensional.     

低维超导的实验进展

超导自发现以来, 已成为凝聚态物理领域最重要的方向之一. 近年来, 低维材料制备技术的进步使得一维或二维的超导特性实验研究成为可能. 本文在简要介绍超导现象的基础上, 重点回顾了近些年二维超导薄膜和一维超导纳米线的制备和电输运研究, 以及在低维超导体中发现的相移、近邻效应、铁磁超导相互作用和高温超导等新奇的现象, 并对该领域的进一步发展做出了展望.     

Current-voltage characteristics of quasi-one-dimensional superconductors: an S-shaped curve in the constant voltage regime

Applying a constant voltage to superconducting nanowires we find that its I-V characteristic exhibits an unusual S behavior. This behavior is the direct consequence of the dynamics of the superconducting condensate and of the existence of two different critical currents: j(c2) at which the pure superconducting state becomes unstable and j(c1)相似文献   

Electrons in cuprates: A consistent ARPES view

Angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) has been playing a crucial role in understanding of physics behind high-temperature superconductivity. Our ARPES investigation of superconducting cuprates, performed over a decade and accomplished by very recent results, suggests a consistent view of electronic interactions in cuprates which provides natural explanation of both the origin of the pseudogap state and the mechanism for high-temperature superconductivity. Within this scenario, the spin-fluctuations play a decisive role in formation of the fermionic excitation spectrum in the normal state and are sufficient to explain the high transition temperatures to the superconducting state while the pseudogap phenomenon is a consequence of a Peierls-type intrinsic instability of electronic system to formation of an incommensurate density wave. In view of these results and their projection to numerous other materials, two general questions are arising: is the normal state in 2D metals ever stable and how does this intrinsic instability interplay with superconductivity?     

基于低温光声光谱技术的YBa2Cu3O7-δ超导转变过程

利用低温光声系统实时采集高Tc超导材料超导转变过程光声信号,是高Tc超导材料超导机理研究的一种新的实验方法。选取YBa₂Cu₃O_7-8超导体作为试样,分别构建常态→超导态（试样降温过程）和超导态→常态（试样升温过程）,得到转变过程光声信号对比图,并依据光声光谱图对试样失超现象作出可能的解释。     

Proximity effect in multiterminal hybrid structures

We consider the proximity effect in multiterminal ferromagnet/superconductor (FSF) hybrid structures in which two or three electrodes are connected to a superconductor. We show that two competing effects take place in these systems: (i) pair breaking effects due to the response to the exchange field induced in the superconductor; (ii) a reduction of the superconducting order parameter at the interface that takes place already in NS junctions. We focus on this second effect that dominates if the thickness of the S layer is small enough. We consider several single-channel electrodes connected to the same site. We calculate the superconducting order parameter and the local density of state (LDOS). With two ferromagnetic electrodes connected to a superconductor we find that the superconducting order parameter in the ferromagnetic alignment is larger than the superconducting order parameter in the antiferromagnetic alignment ( > ), in agreement with [Eur. Phys. J. B 25, 373 (2002)]. If a third spin polarized electrode is connected to a superconductor we find that - can change sign as the transparency of the third electrode increases. This can be understood from the fact that the superconducting order parameter is reduced if pair correlations among the ferromagnetic electrodes increase. If the two ferromagnetic electrodes are within a finite distance we find Friedel oscillations in the Gorkov function but we still obtain > .     

Tunable interplay between superconductivity and correlations in nanoscopic heterostructures

Artificial heterostructures consisting of the superconducting electrode(s) and the free electron reservoir(s) interconnected through various nanoscopic objects, like: quantum dots, nanowires or molecules enable a fully controllable confrontation of the correlation effects with electron pairing. Discrete energy spectrum of the nanoscopic objects (due to the quantum size effect) strongly depends on the many-body effects. Via the proximity effect, these nanoscopic objects are converted into the superconducting grains. Since the coupling to external electrodes can be varied experimentally, this enables a fully controllable investigation of an interplay between the electron correlations and superconductivity. In this work, we explore the subgap (Shiba) states arising from the induced pairing and analyse their influence on the Kondo-type correlations. This issue is currently widely explored using various nanoscopic devices.     

Finite-frequency noise in a topological superconducting wire

In this paper we study the finite-frequency current cross-correlations for a topological superconducting nanowire attached to two terminals at one of its ends. Using an analytic 1D model we show that the presence of a Majorana bound state yields vanishing cross-correlations for frequencies larger than twice the applied transport voltage, in contrast to what is found for a zero-energy ordinary Andreev bound state. Zero cross-correlations at high frequency have been confirmed using a more realistic tight-binding model for finite-width topological superconducting nanowires. Finite-temperature effects have also been investigated.     

A superconductor/semiconductor/superconductor junction with a long-split gate

Measurements of superconducting and normal transport in a superconductor/semiconductor/superconductor junction with a long-split gate show that when the two-dimensional electron gas in the semiconductor is put into the pinched-off state by applying a gate voltage, the two superconducting electrodes couple through a long and narrow channel with a small number of modes. Multiple Andreev reflections the focusing of Andreev-reflected holes are observed in this situation, but the supercurrent decreases quickly as gate voltage is increased and it disappears when the channel is long and narrow. A sharp conductance peak due to the coherent motion of the electrons and holes in the narrow channel is also observed.     

Avoidance of Majorana resonances in periodic topological superconductor-nanowire structures

Semiconducting nanowires in proximity to superconductors are promising experimental systems for Majorana fermions which may ultimately be used as building blocks for topological quantum computers. A serious challenge in the experimental realization of the Majorana fermion in these semiconductor-superconductor-nanowire structures is tuning the semiconductor chemical potential in close proximity to the metallic superconductor. We show that presently realizable structures in experiments with tunable chemical potential lead to Majorana resonances, which are interesting in their own right, but do not manifest non-Abelian statistics. To resolve this crucial barrier to the solid state realization of Majorana fermions, we propose a new topological superconducting array structure where introducing the superconducting proximity effect from adjacent nanowires generates Majorana fermions with non-Abelian statistics.     

Dynamical properties of superconducting nanowires

The dynamical properties of thin superconducting wires (nanowires) are studied using numerical simulations based on a one-dimensional time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau equation, which is modified by introducing an order parameter u characterizing the “purity” of the superconductor material. It is established that relatively long nanowires (with lengths much greater than the coherence length) made of a “pure” superconductor (u > 1) are characterized by two critical current density values: j _c1 and j _c2. For j < j _c1, the total current is entirely superconducting, whereas for j > j _c2, the current is purely normal. In the intermediate region of current densities, j _c1 < j < j _c2, the total current contains both superconducting and normal components (mixed state) and the nanowire exhibits the generation of high-frequency electromagnetic waves. The current-voltage characteristics are constructed and the radiation spectrum is obtained. The properties of short superconducting nanowires (with lengths on the order of the coherence length) coincide with those of the Josephson junction. In the case of an “impure” superconductor (u < 1), the nanowire is characterized by a single critical current density.     

高温超导体电子结构和超导机理的角分辨光电子能谱研究

超导是一种奇异的宏观量子现象.100多年来,已发现的超导体主要分为两类:以金属或者合金为代表的常规超导体以及以铜氧化物和铁基高温超导体为代表的非常规超导体.常规超导体的超导机理能被BCS超导理论完美解释,但高温超导体的超导机理至今仍未达成共识,已经成为凝聚态物理领域中长期争论且充满挑战的重大科学问题.从实验上揭示非常规超导材料的微观电子结构,是理解其奇异正常态和超导电性机理、建立新理论的前提和基础.角分辨光电子能谱技术,由于可以实现对材料中电子的能量、动量和自旋的直接测量,在高温超导研究中发挥了重要的作用.本文综述了我们利用角分辨光电子能谱技术在铜氧化物和铁基高温超导体电子结构和超导机理研究中取得的一些进展,主要包括母体的电子结构、正常态的非费米液体行为、超导态的能带和超导能隙结构以及多体相互作用等.这些结果为理解铜氧化物和铁基高温超导体的物性及超导机理提供了重要的信息.     

High content analysis of the biocompatibility of nickel nanowires

Nickel nanowires, 20 μm long and 200 nm in diameter, were fabricated by electrodeposition into alumina templates, and characterised by superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometer, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. Biocompatibility studies of nickel nanowires with differentiated THP-1 cell line-derived macrophages were carried out. From a multiparametric assay, using high content analysis (HCA), the critical time points and concentrations of nickel nanowires on THP-1 cellular response were identified. The nanowires displayed little or no toxic effects on THP-1 cells over short incubation times (10 h), and at low concentrations (<100 nanowires per cell). Our findings indicate the potential suitability of these wires for biological and clinical applications.     

Electrical characteristics and optoelectronic properties of metal--semiconductor--metal structure with zinc oxide nanowires across Au electrodes

This paper reports on a method of assembling semiconducting ZnO nanowires onto a pair of Au electrodes to construct a metal--semiconductor metal （MSM） structure by dieleetrophoresis and studying on its electrical characteristics by using current-voltage （Ⅰ - Ⅴ） measurements. An electronic model with two back to back Sehottky diodes in series with a semiconductor of nanowires was established to study the electrical transport of the MSM structures. By fitting the measured Ⅰ - Ⅴ characteristics using the proposed model, the parameters of the Schottky contacts and the resistance of nanowires could be acquired. The photoelectric properties of the MSM structures were also investigated by analysing the measurements of the electrical transports under various light intensities. The deduced results demonstrate that ZnO nanowires and their Schottky contacts with Au electrodes both contribute to photosensitivity and the MSM structures with ZnO nanowires are potentially applicable for photonic devices.     

Non-rigid hole band in the extended t-J model

Based on a simple matrix method, we investigate the effects of Fermi vector mismatch and elastic barrier on the dc Josephoson current through a ballistic, normal, one-dimensional quantum channel in contact with two superconducting electrodes. The coexistence of Andreev reflection and normal reflection forms quasibound states with open gaps in the normal conductor. The quantum transmission of individual electrons (or holes) gives new features to this mesoscopic system. The critical current character of a 2DEG coupled superconducting heterostructure with a length of sevral m0 is extensively studied. More importantly, our theoritical results are able to account for the recent anomalous experimental results.     

Thermoelectric transport in the three terminal quantum dot

The thermoelectric transport in the system composed of a quantum dot in contact with superconducting, ferromagnetic and normal metal electrodes has been studied. Such a system can support pure spin current in the normal electrode. In the limit of a large superconducting gap and weak coupling between the dot and the electrodes we investigate the sub-gap charge and spin transport via Andreev mechanism using the standard master equation technique, which is known to be valid in the sequential tunnelling regime. The Zeeman splitting of the dot level induces pure spin current in the ferromagnetic electrode under an appropriate bias. This opens a novel possibility to switch the spin current between two electrodes by electric means. The calculated spin and charge thermopower coefficients attain very large values, of the order of a few hundreds μV K(-1), and show similar dependences on the position of the on-dot energy level and temperature.     

Possibility of persistent voltage observation in a system of asymmetric superconducting rings

The possibility of observing persistent voltage in superconducting rings of different arm widths is experimentally investigated. It was previously found that switching of the arms between superconducting and normal states by an AC current induces DC voltage oscillation in the magnetic field with a period corresponding to the flux quantum inside the ring. We used systems with a large number of asymmetric rings connected in series to investigate the possibility of observing this quantum phenomenon near the superconducting transition, where thermal fluctuations lead to switching of ring segments without an external influence and the persistent current is much smaller than in the superconducting state.     

Gate-tuned high frequency response of carbon nanotube Josephson junctions

Carbon nanotube Josephson junctions in the open quantum dot limit are fabricated using Pd/Al bilayer electrodes, and exhibit gate-controlled superconducting switching currents. Shapiro voltage steps can be observed under radio frequency current excitations, with a damping of the phase dynamics that strongly depends on the gate voltage. These measurements are described by a standard resistively and capacitively shunted junction model showing that the switching currents from the superconducting to the normal state are close to the critical current of the junction. The effective dynamical capacitance of the nanotube junction is found to be strongly gate dependent, suggesting a diffusive contact of the nanotube.     

基于微芯片的透射电子显微镜的低温纳米精度电子束刻蚀与原位电学输运性质测量

利用微芯片制备技术制备了带有电极的原位电学薄膜芯片,并结合自制的原位透射电镜样品台,实现了低温下透射电子显微镜聚焦电子束对InAs纳米线的精细刻蚀以及不同温度下的原位电学性能测量.研究发现,随着刻蚀区域截面积的减小,纳米线的电导率也随之减小.当纳米线的截面积从大于10000 nm2刻蚀至约800 nm2时,纳米线电导的减小速率与截面积的减小具有线性关系.同时利用低温聚焦电子束刻蚀,在InAs纳米线上原位制备了一个10 nm的纳米点,并在77与300 K下对该纳米点进行了电学性能测量.通过测量发现在77 K时出现库仑阻塞效应,发生了电子隧穿现象;而300 K时,热扰动提供的能量使这种现象消失.