Shapiro Steps in the Absence of Microwave Radiation

Lin He; Jian Wang; Moses H. W. Chan

Shapiro Steps in the Absence of Microwave Radiation

Superconductivity 2011-07-04 v1 Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics

Authors: Lin He , Jian Wang , Moses H. W. Chan

Abstract

The current-voltage I-V characteristics of a 1.2 \mum long Au nanowire contacted by superconducting electrodes were studied in details. Interestingly, the I-V curves over a wide range of temperatures display multiple steps at voltages V = (m/n)(V0/2e) in the absence of microwave radiation, where m, n are integer numbers and V0 ~ 92 \muV. We posit that these steps are the subharmonic Shapiro steps due to the interplay of the ac Josephson current and a minigap in the Au nanowire induced by superconducting electrodes via the proximity effect.

Keywords

Shapiro steps Au nanowire superconducting electrodes proximity effect Josephson current minigap subharmonic steps

Cite

@article{arxiv.1107.0061,
  title  = {Shapiro Steps in the Absence of Microwave Radiation},
  author = {Lin He and Jian Wang and Moses H. W. Chan},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1107.0061},
  year   = {2011}
}

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