Josephson detection of time-reversal symmetry broken superconductivity in SnTe nanowires
Name
s41535-021-00359-w.pdf
Description
Published version
Size
1.77 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
27d7add913e6d4f7f251adbb7129ebaf
Author(s)
Date Issued
2021
Journal
npj Quantum Materials
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Citation
Trimble, CJ, Wei, MT, Yuan, NFQ, Kalantre, SS, Liu, P et al. 2021. "Josephson detection of time-reversal symmetry broken superconductivity in SnTe nanowires." npj Quantum Materials, 6 (1).
Version
Final published version
Abstract
AbstractA Josephson junction (JJ) couples the supercurrent flowing between two weakly linked superconductors to the phase difference between them via a current-phase relation (CPR). While a sinusoidal CPR is expected for conventional junctions with insulating weak links, devices made from some exotic materials may give rise to unconventional CPRs and unusual Josephson effects. In this work, we present such a case: we investigate the proximity-induced superconductivity in SnTe nanowires by incorporating them as weak links in JJs and observe a deviation from the standard CPR. We report on indications of an unexpected breaking of time-reversal symmetry in these devices, detailing the unconventional characteristics that reveal this behavior. These include an asymmetric critical current in the DC Josephson effect, a prominent second harmonic in the AC Josephson effect, and a magnetic diffraction pattern with a minimum in critical current at zero magnetic field. The analysis examines how multiband effects and the experimentally visualized ferroelectric domain walls give rise to this behavior, giving insight into the Josephson effect in materials that possess ferroelectricity and/or multiband superconductivity.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics
Terms of Use
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1038/S41535-021-00359-W
