Electric Field Effects in Mesoscopic Metal Superconductors

ORAL

Abstract

The superconducting state of metals is typically thought to be negligibly affected by the presence of externally applied electric fields, given sub-nanometer screening lengths. But recent studies of mesoscopic metallic superconducting channels at millikelvin temperatures observe a reduction of the superconducting critical current under applied gate voltage [1]. We extend these measurements of Ti and Al nanowires and find revealing effects, including voltage tuned oscillations in the critical current as a function of magnetic field. We present possible explanations and experiments underway to evince the origin of the effect.

[1] G. D. Simoni, et al., Nat. Nanotech. 13, 802-805 (2018)

*This research was supported by an appointment to the Intelligence Community Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Program at Harvard University, administered by Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education through an interagency agreement between the U.S. Department of Energy and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

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Presenters

  • Loren Alegria

    • Harvard University

Authors

  • Loren Alegria

    • Harvard University

  • Charlotte Boettcher

    • Harvard University
    • Department of Physics, Harvard University

  • Amir Yacoby

    • Harvard University
    • Department of Physics, Harvard University
    • Physics, Harvard University
    • Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA