English

Non-ideal artificial phase discontinuity in long Josephson 0-kappa-junctions

Superconductivity 2007-05-23 v3

Abstract

We investigate the creation of an arbitrary κ\kappa-discontinuity of the Josephson phase in a long Nb-AlO_x-Nb Josephson junction (LJJ) using a pair of tiny current injectors, and study the formation of fractional vortices formed at this discontinuity. The current I_inj, flowing from one injector to the other, creates a phase discontinuity kappa ~ I_inj. The calibration of injectors is discussed in detail. The small but finite size of injectors leads to some deviations of the properties of such a 0-kappa-LJJ from the properties of a LJJ with an ideal kappa-discontinuity. These experimentally observed deviations in the dependence of the critical current on I_inj$ and magnetic field can be well reproduced by numerical simulation assuming a finite injector size. The physical origin of these deviations is discussed.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.cond-mat/0408214,
  title  = {Non-ideal artificial phase discontinuity in long Josephson 0-kappa-junctions},
  author = {T. Gaber and E. Goldobin and A. Sterck and R. Kleiner and D. Koelle and M. Siegel and M. Neuhaus},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:cond-mat/0408214},
  year   = {2007}
}

Comments

Submitted to Phys. Rev. B (12 figures). v 2: refs updated, long eqs fixed v 3: major changes, fractional vortex dynamics excluded