Dynamical Spin Polarization of Excess Quasiparticles in Superconductors.

We show that the annihilation dynamics of excess quasiparticles in superconductors may result in the spontaneous formation of large spin-polarized clusters. This presents a novel scenario for spontaneous spin polarization. We estimate the relevant scales for aluminum, finding the feasibility of clusters with total spin S≃10^{4}ℏ that could be spread over microns.

Microwave Spectroscopy of a Weakly Pinned Charge Density Wave in a Superinductor.

A chain of small Josephson junctions (a.k.a.

Coulomb Blockade of a Nearly Open Majorana Island.

We consider the ground-state energy and the spectrum of the low-energy excitations of a Majorana island formed of topological superconductors connected by a single-mode junction of arbitrary transmission. Coulomb blockade results in e-periodic modulation of the energies with the gate-induced charge. We find the amplitude of modulation as a function of reflection coefficient R.

Nontrivial Chern Numbers in Three-Terminal Josephson Junctions.

Recently, it has been predicted that the Andreev bound state spectrum of four-terminal Josephson junctions may possess zero-energy Weyl singularities. Using one superconducting phase as a control parameter, these singularities are associated with topological transitions between time-reversal symmetry broken phases with different Chern numbers. Here we show that such topological transitions may also be tuned with a magnetic flux through the junction area in a three-terminal geometry.

Enhancement of the Upper Critical Field in Disordered Transition Metal Dichalcogenide Monolayers.

We calculate the effect of impurities on the superconducting phase diagram of transition metal dichalcogenide monolayers in the presence of an in-plane magnetic field. Because of strong intrinsic spin-orbit coupling, the upper critical field greatly surpasses the Pauli limit at low temperatures. We find that it is insensitive to intravalley scattering and, ultimately, limited by intervalley scattering.

Theoretical Model to Explain Excess of Quasiparticles in Superconductors.

Experimentally, the concentration of quasiparticles in gapped superconductors always largely exceeds the equilibrium one at low temperatures. Since these quasiparticles are detrimental for many applications, it is important to understand theoretically the origin of the excess. We demonstrate in detail that the dynamics of quasiparticles localized at spatial fluctuations of the gap edge becomes exponentially slow.

Multi-terminal Josephson junctions as topological matter.

Topological materials and their unusual transport properties are now at the focus of modern experimental and theoretical research. Their topological properties arise from the bandstructure determined by the atomic composition of a material and as such are difficult to tune and naturally restricted to ≤3 dimensions. Here we demonstrate that n-terminal Josephson junctions with conventional superconductors may provide novel realizations of topology in n-1 dimensions, which have similarities, but also marked differences with existing 2D or 3D topological materials.

Control of Andreev bound state population and related charge-imbalance effect.

Motivated by recent experimental research, we study a superconducting constriction subject to a dc and ac phase bias. We consider the processes whereby the ac drive promotes one quasiparticle from an Andreev bound state to a delocalized state outside the superconducting gap. We demonstrate that with these processes one can control the population of the Andreev bound states in the constriction.

Spin-resolved Andreev levels and parity crossings in hybrid superconductor-semiconductor nanostructures.

The physics and operating principles of hybrid superconductor-semiconductor devices rest ultimately on the magnetic properties of their elementary subgap excitations, usually called Andreev levels. Here we report a direct measurement of the Zeeman effect on the Andreev levels of a semiconductor quantum dot with large electron g-factor, strongly coupled to a conventional superconductor with a large critical magnetic field. This material combination allows spin degeneracy to be lifted without destroying superconductivity.

Dynamics of Majorana states in a topological Josephson junction.

Topological Josephson junctions carry 4π-periodic bound states. A finite bias applied to the junction limits the lifetime of the bound state by dynamically coupling it to the continuum. Another characteristic time scale, the phase adjustment time, is determined by the resistance of the circuit "seen" by the junction.

Superharmonic long-range triplet current in a diffusive Josephson junction.

We study the Josephson current through a long ferromagnetic bilayer in the diffusive regime. For noncollinear magnetizations, we find that the current-phase relation is dominated by its second harmonic, which corresponds to the long-range coherent propagation of two triplet pairs of electrons.

Inelastic microwave photon scattering off a quantum impurity in a Josephson-junction array.

Quantum fluctuations in an anharmonic superconducting circuit enable frequency conversion of individual incoming photons. This effect, linear in the photon beam intensity, leads to ramifications for the standard input-output circuit theory. We consider an extreme case of anharmonicity in which photons scatter off a small set of weak links within a Josephson junction array.

Andreev current induced by ferromagnetic resonance.

We study charge transport through a metallic dot coupled to a superconducting and a ferromagnetic lead with a precessing magnetization due to ferromagnetic resonance. Using the quasiclassical theory, we find that the magnetization precession induces a dc current in the subgap regime even in the absence of a bias voltage. This effect is due to the rectification of the ac spin currents at the interface with the ferromagnet; it exists in the absence of spin current in the superconductor.

Nonequilibrium Josephson effect through helical edge states.

We study Josephson junctions between superconductors connected through the helical edge states of a two-dimensional topological insulator in the presence of a magnetic barrier. As the equilibrium Andreev bound states of the junction are 4π periodic in the superconducting phase difference, it was speculated that, at finite dc bias voltage, the junction exhibits a fractional Josephson effect with half the Josephson frequency. Using the scattering matrix formalism, we show that his effect is absent in the average current.

Cross correlation of incoherent multiple Andreev reflections.

We use a semiclassical theory to calculate the current correlations in a multiterminal structure composed of a normal metallic dot connected to all superconducting leads at arbitrary voltage and temperature. This theory holds when the proximity effect is suppressed in the dot. At low voltage, eV< View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Persistent currents in one dimension: the counterpart of Leggett's theorem.

We discuss the sign of the persistent current of N electrons in one dimensional rings. Using a topology argument, we establish lower bounds for the free energy in the presence of arbitrary electron-electron interactions and external potentials. Those bounds are the counterparts of upper bounds derived by Leggett.

Ferromagnetic Josephson junction with precessing magnetization.

The Josephson current in a diffusive superconductor-ferromagnet-superconductor junction with precessing magnetization is calculated within the quasiclassical theory of superconductivity. When the junction is phase biased, a stationary current (without ac component) can flow through it despite the nonequilibrium condition. A large critical current is predicted due to a dynamically induced long range triplet proximity effect.