Current phase relation in a planar graphene Josephson junction with spin-orbit coupling
Abstract
We study a graphene Josephson junction where the inner graphene layer is subjected to spin-orbit coupling by proximity effect. This could be achieved, for example, by growing the graphene layer on top of a transition metal dichalcogenide, such as WS. Here, we focus on the ballistic, wide, and short junction limits and study the effects of the spin-orbit interaction on the supercurrent. In particular, we analyze the current phase relation using an analytical approach based on the continuum model. We find combinations of types of spin-orbit coupling that significantly suppress the supercurrent by opening a gap in the graphene band structure. At the same time, other combinations enhance it, acting as an effective spin-valley resolved chemical potential. Moreover, we find that a strong Rashba spin-orbit coupling leads to a junction with a highly voltage tunable harmonic content.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.2504.17517,
title = {Current phase relation in a planar graphene Josephson junction with spin-orbit coupling},
author = {Federico Bonasera and Giuseppe A. Falci and Elisabetta Paladino and Francesco M. D. Pellegrino},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2504.17517},
year = {2025}
}
Comments
8 pages, 3 figures