Microwave response of a metallic superconductor subject to a high-voltage gate electrode.

Processes that lead to the critical-current suppression and change of impedance of a superconductor under the application of an external voltage is an active area of research, especially due to various possible technological applications. In particular, field-effect transistors and radiation detectors have been developed in the recent years, showing the potential for precision and sensitivity exceeding their normal-metal counterparts. In order to describe the phenomenon that leads to the critical-current suppression in metallic superconducting structures, a field-effect hypothesis has been formulated, stating that an electric field can penetrate the metallic superconductor and affect its characteristics.