Effects of a concentric superconducting nanocylinder insertion on the electrodynamic response of a two-junction quantum interferometer

The dynamical equations of a circular superconducting quantum interferometer containing two equal conventional overdamped Josephson junctions on its two symmetric arms and a concentric nanocylinder, which entraps a quantized finite value of magnetic flux, are derived. It is shown that, for given values of the quantum interferometer and nanocylinder self-inductance and of the mutual induction coefficient between these concentric superconducting loops, the conventional quantum interference device behaves like a π-SQUID.     

Spontaneous Josephson spin current in triplet superconductor/ferromagnet/triplet superconductor junctions

This paper theoretically studies Josephson spin current through triplet superconductor/ferromagnet/triplet superconductor junctions. At the ferromagnet/superconductor interfaces, the ferromagnetic scattering potential gives rise to coupling between the Andreev bound states and lifts their spin degeneracy. These spin-split Andreev states carry the Josephson spin current through the junctions. The generated spin supercurrent can be controlled by the magnetization of a ferromagnetic thin layer and bias voltage across the junctions.     

Resistively shunted Josephson tunnel junctions

SIS tunnel junctions have externally been shunted by a thin metallic film. It is shown that such devices exhibit radiation induced steps as point contacts or microbridges. This result agrees qualitatively with the commonly used lumped circuit model of Josephson junctions.     

Modulation instability of electromagnetic excitations in nonlocal Josephson electrodynamics of thin films of nonmagnetic and magnetic (two-and three-dimensional) superconductors

Modulation instability of nonlinear electromagnetic excitations (oscillating with the Josephson frequency) of finite amplitude is investigated in a Josephson junction in a film of a nonmagnetic, as well as of a magnetic (two-or three-dimensional), superconductor. The instability is accompanied by a nonlinear shift in frequency. Dispersion relations are derived for the time increment of small perturbations of the amplitude. It is shown that, for this type of excitations in a Josephson junction in a thin film of nonmagnetic superconductor, modulation instability develops only in a certain finite range of wave vectors, whereas in a thin film of a two-or three-dimensional magnetic superconductor it develops for any wave vector.     

Phase-controlled force and magnetization oscillations in superconducting ballistic nanowires

The emergence of superconductivity-induced phase-controlled forces in the (10(-2)-10(-1)) nN range and of magnetization oscillations in nanowire junctions is discussed. A giant magnetic response to applied weak magnetic fields is predicted in the ballistic Josephson junction formed by a superconducting tip and a surface, bridged by a normal-metal nanowire where Andreev states form.     

Experimental evidence for the Coulomb blockade of Cooper pair tunneling and Bloch oscillations in single Josephson junctions

We report on measurements of the current-voltage characteristics of ultrasmall Josephson junctions. The junctions were made of either Al or Pb alloy, and the leads connecting the junctions to the outside world were high resistance thin film microstrips fabricated on the chip very close to the junction. The high frequency impedance of these leads was sufficiently large to enable the observation in a single Josephson junction of the Coulomb blockade of Cooper pair tunneling, as well as evidence for the time correlation of Cooper pair tunneling (Bloch Oscillations).     

Aging effect in ceramic superconductors

A three-dimensional lattice of the Josephson junctions with a finite self-conductance is employed to model ceramic superconductors. By using Monte Carlo simulations it is shown that the aging disappears in the strong screening limit. In the weak screening regime, aging is present even at low temperatures. For intermediate values of the self-inductance, aging occurs in an intermediate temperature interval but is suppressed entirely at high and low temperatures. Our results are in good agreement with experiments.     

Energy gap suppression and excess current in Tl_2Ba_2CaCu_2O_8 intrinsic Josephson junctions

Intrinsic Josephson junctions in misaligned Tl2Ba2CaCu2O8 thin film were fabricated on LaAlO3 substrate. The temperature dependence of the critical current is investigated around liquid nitrogen temperature. In the current voltage characteristic, large voltage jump and lack of resistive branch are observed, which shows good consistency with the intrinsic Josephson junctions. By analyzing the large gap voltage in the curve, great suppression of the energy gap is found. Through discussing the temperature dependence of the gap voltage in liquid nitrogen temperature, it is shown that this phenomenon can be caused by the non-equilibrium quasiparticle injection. The temperature influence on the excess current also confirms the non-equilibrium effect.     

Preliminary results on tunnel junctions on YBCO bulk with an artificial barrier

YBCO-bulk based tunnel junctions employing a cadmium sulphide artificial barrier have been fabricated. Preliminary results on the role played by the CdS film thickness and different YBCO surface processing are discussed. dc Josephson effect has been detected in samples with a low tunneling resistance. The dependence of the critical current on the external magnetic field is reported.     

Properties of Josephson junctions in the inhomogeneous magnetic field of a system of ferromagnetic particles

The effect of a system of ferromagnetic particles on the field-dependent critical current of a Josephson junction is experimentally studied for junctions of different geometries. For edge junctions, the effect of commensurability between the periodic magnetic field of the particles and the Josephson vortex lattice is observed. The effect manifests itself in additional maxima of the field-dependent critical current. For overlap junctions, giant (greater than sixfold) variations of the maximum critical current are observed depending on the magnetic state of the particles. The changes in the “Fraunhofer” pattern of the overlaped Josephson junctions are attributed to the formation of Abrikosov vortices due to the effect of uniformly magnetized particles. The effects revealed in the experiments can be used to analyze the inhomogeneous magnetic field of a system of submicron particles and to control the transport properties of Josephson junctions.     

Variety of c-axis collective excitations in layered multigap superconductors

We present a dynamical theory for the phase differences along a stacked direction of intrinsic Josephson junctions (IJJ's) in layered multigap superconductors, motivated by the discovery of highly anisotropic iron-based superconductors with thick perovskite-type blocking layers. The dynamical equations describing ac and dc intrinsic Josephson effects peculiar to multigap IJJ's are derived, and collective Leggett mode excitations in addition to the Josephson plasma established in single-gap IJJ's are predicted. The dispersion relations of their collective modes are explicitly displayed, and the remarkable peculiarity of the Leggett mode is demonstrated.     

Nonlocal Josephson electrodynamics of electromagnetic excitations in a superconducting magnetic (three-dimensional) thin film

The integro-differential equation for the dynamics of the phase difference with temporal and spatial nonlocality for a Josephson junction in a superconducting three-dimensional magnetic thin film is derived. The equation is valid for any type of magnetic ordering. The magnetic subsystem is shown to significantly renormalize the spectrum of small-amplitude electromagnetic excitations, which, as a result, are damped.     

Josephson effect without superconductivity: realization in quantum Hall bilayers

We show that a quantum Hall bilayer with the total filling nu = 1 should exhibit a dynamical regime similar to the flux flow in large Josephson junctions. This analogy may explain a conspicuous peak in the interlayer tunneling conductance [Phys. Rev. Lett. 84, 5808 (2000)]. The flux flow is likely to be spatiotemporally chaotic at low-bias voltage, which will manifest itself through broadband noise. The peak position can be controlled by an in-plane magnetic field.     

Magnetic-field dependence of the maximum supercurrent of La2-xCexCuO4-y interferometers: evidence for a predominant dx2-y2 superconducting order parameter

We performed a phase-sensitive test of the symmetry of the superconducting order parameter of the electron doped cuprate La(2-x)Ce(x)CuO(4-y) using a superconducting quantum interferometer with spatially distributed Josephson junctions. The studies were made on a thin film grown on a SrTiO3 tetracrystal substrate. The superconducting transition temperature was about 29 K which indicates that the sample is close to optimal doping. The magnetic field dependence of the critical current gives strong evidence for a predominant dx(2)(-y(2)) order parameter symmetry of the sample measured. It also gives upper limits for the s-wave component in a mixed order parameter of the type s+idx(2)(-y(2)).     

Spatially resolved gap closing in single Josephson junctions constructed on Bi_2Te_3 surface

Full gap closing is a prerequisite for hosting Majorana zero modes in Josephson junctions on the surface of topological insulators.Previously,we have observed direct experimental evidence of gap closing in Josephson junctions constructed on Bi_2Te_3 surface.In this paper we report further investigations on the position dependence of gap closing as a function of magnetic flux in single Josephson junctions constructed on Bi_2Te_3 surface.     

Electrodynamics of current-biased inductive cubic networks of Josephson junctions

The dynamical equations for the gauge-invariant superconducting phase differences across the twelve Josephson junctions placed on the sides of an inductive cubic network are derived. The electrodynamic properties of the system are studied by means of a general analytic approach. The cubic system is seen to show features similar to those of a d.c. SQUID for externally applied magnetic fields perpendicular to one cube face. Additional features are detected for different field orientations.     

Nonlocal Josephson electrodynamics of a magnetic (two-or three-dimensional) superconductive thin film

For the Josephson junction in a two-or three-dimensional magnetic superconductive thin film, an integro-differential equation of phase-difference dynamics, including time and space nonlocality, is deduced. It is shown that the magnetic subsystem induces the substantial renormalization of the spectrum of small-amplitude electromagnetic excitations and causes them to decay.     

Stability of the magnetic domain structure of nanoparticle thin films against external fields

We investigate the effect of external magnetic fields on the magnetic structure of thin films from magnetic nanoparticles (MNP) with dipolar interaction. Such fields are present, for example, if samples are scanned with magnetic probes. Numerical simulations and experimental magnetic force microscopy (MFM) studies are presented. Numerically, we have calculated the magnetization pattern of single-layer and multilayer MNP thin films. The calculations show that unperturbed single-layer MNP films have an in-plane orientation of the magnetization with a flux-closure-domain pattern. An external field generated by a point dipole above the film induces locally an out-of-plane configuration of the magnetization. In the corresponding MFM images, the domain pattern in the film is erased and a stripe-like contrast enhancement at the edges appears. Multilayer films are found to be more robust against external fields than monolayers.     

Resonant breather states in Josephson coupled systems

A review of diverse resonant effects appearing in weakly dissipative Josephson coupled systems in the presence of inhomogeneous dynamic localized state (discrete breather) is given. As particular examples I discuss the resonant interaction of breather states with linear electromagnetic excitations (EEs) in dc driven Josephson junction ladders and a single plaquette containing three Josephson junctions. Such resonant interaction manifests itself by resonant steps and various sharp switchings (voltage jumps) in the current-voltage characteristics. Moreover, the resonant interaction leads to an increase of breather dynamical complexity, e.g., enlargement of the breather core, low symmetry or quasiperiodic breather states. I show that the application of an external magnetic field allows to tune the resonant interaction, and correspondingly to increase (or decrease) the height of the resonant steps, to change the stability of the breather states.