Nonlinear dynamics and resistive transition in intrinsic Josephson junctions

We study the dynamics of phase differences in intrinsic Josephson junctions by using numerical simulations. We especially pay attention to the dynamics of junctions with weak dissipation under an externally applied electric current, where nonlinear character of the system appears most significant. It is found that, when an electric current is applied, the spatially localized oscillations appear. These oscillations are similar to the so-called “breather modes”, which are well known in the dynamics of the sine-Gordon systems. We show that the development of these modes depends on the number of junctions, and the dynamics significantly differs between even and odd numbers. As a result, the critical current of the system also undergoes this even-odd effect.