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ABSTRACT: We show that the dynamics of a driven quantum system weakly coupled to the
environment can exhibit two distinct regimes. While the relaxation basis is
usually determined by the system+drive Hamiltonian (system-governed dynamics),
we find that under certain conditions it is determined by specific features of
the environment, such as, the form of the coupling operator
(environment-governed dynamics). We provide an effective coupling parameter
describing the transition between the two regimes and discuss how to observe
the transition in a superconducting charge pump.
12/2012;
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ABSTRACT: We investigate the coherent mixing of co-propagating edge channels in a
quantum Hall bar produced by step potentials. In the case of two edge channels
it is found that, although a single step induces only a few percent mixing, a
series of steps could yield 50% mixing. In addition, a strong mixing is found
when the potential height of a single step allows a different number of edge
channels on the two sides of the step. Charge density probability has been also
calculated even for the case where the step is smoothened.
08/2010;
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ABSTRACT: We show that an Aharonov-Bohm ring with asymmetric electron injection can act as a coherent detector of electron dephasing. The presence of a dephasing source in one of the two arms of a moderately-to-highly asymmetric ring changes the response of the system from total reflection to complete transmission while preserving the coherence of the electrons propagating from the ring, even for strong dephasing. We interpret this phenomenon as an implementation of an interaction-free measurement.
Physical Review Letters 04/2010; 104(17):170403. · 7.37 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Three different implementations of interaction-free measurements (IFMs) in solid-state nanodevices are discussed. The first one is based on a series of concatenated Mach-Zehnder interferometers, in analogy to optical-IFM setups. The second one consists of a single interferometer and concatenation is achieved in the time domain making use of a quantized electron emitter. The third implementation consists of an asymmetric Aharonov-Bohm ring. For all three cases we show that the presence of a dephasing source acting on one arm of the interferometer can be detected without degrading the coherence of the measured current. Electronic implementations of IFMs in nanoelectronics may play a fundamental role as very accurate and noninvasive measuring schemes for quantum devices. Comment: 12 pages, 10 figures
04/2010;
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ABSTRACT: We study theoretically the electronic entropy and specific heat in diffusive superconductor-normal metal-superconductor (SNS) Josephson junctions. In particular, we consider the influence of non-idealities occurring in an actual experiment, such as the presence of barriers at the NS interfaces, the spin-flip and inelastic scattering in the N region and quasiparticle subgap states in the superconductors. We find that spin-flip and inelastic scattering do not have, for typical parameters values, a large effect. On the contrary, the presence of barriers suppresses the superconducting correlations in the N region, with the consequence that the entropy and the specific heat get reduced eventually to those in the absence of superconductivity for opaque interfaces. Finally we suggest an experiment and check that it is possible, under realistic conditions, to measure the dependence of electronic specific heat on the phase difference between the superconductors. Comment: 8 pages, 10 color figures
02/2009;
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ABSTRACT: We study the influence of superconducting correlations on the electronic specific heat in a diffusive superconductor-normal metal-superconductor Josephson junction. We present a description of this system in the framework of the diffusive-limit Green's function theory, taking into account finite temperatures, phase difference as well as junction parameters. We find that proximity effect may lead to a substantial deviation of the specific heat as compared to that in the normal state, and that it can be largely tuned in magnitude by changing the phase difference between the superconductors. A measurement setup to confirm these predictions is also suggested.
06/2008;
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ABSTRACT: In this paper we review several aspects of mesoscopic hybrid superconducting systems. In particular we consider charge and heat transport properties in hybrid superconducting-metal structures and the effect of charging energy in superconducting nanostructures.
04/2007;
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ABSTRACT: An electron-cooling principle based on Landau quantization is proposed for nanoscale conductor systems. Operation relies on energy-selective electron tunneling into a two-dimensional electron gas in quantizing magnetic fields. This quantum refrigerator provides significant cooling power (~1 nW at a few K for realistic parameters) and offers a unique flexibility thanks to its tunability via the magnetic-field intensity. The available performance is only marginally affected by nonidealities such as disorder or imperfections in the semiconductor. Methods for the implementation of this system and its characterization are discussed.
04/2007;
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ABSTRACT: The distinctive quasiparticle distribution existing under nonequilibrium in a superconductor-insulator-normal metal-insulator-superconductor (SINIS) mesoscopic line is proposed as a novel tool to control the supercurrent intensity in a long Josephson weak link. We present a description of this system in the framework of the diffusive-limit quasiclassical Green-junction theory and take into account the effects of inelastic scattering with arbitrary strength. Supercurrent enhancement and suppression, including a marked transition to a pi-junction are striking features leading to a fully tunable structure. The role of the degree of nonequilibrium, temperature, and materials choice as well as features like noise, switching time, and current and power gain are also addressed.
Journal of Low Temperature Physics 09/2004; 136(5-6):435-452. · 1.19 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Highly transmissive ballistic junctions are demonstrated between two superconducting Nb electrodes and the two-dimensional electron gas formed at an InAs/AISb heterojunction. A reproducible fabrication protocol is presented yielding good critical supercurrent values. Current–voltage characteristics were measured down to 0.4 K and the observed supercurrent behavior was analyzed within a ballistic model in the clean limit. This investigation allows us to demonstrate an intrinsic interface transmissivity exceeding 86%.
Journal of Superconductivity 03/2004; 17(2):317-321.
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ABSTRACT: A superconductor-normal metal-superconductor (SNS) transistor based on superconducting microcoolers is presented. The proposed 4-terminal device consists of a long SNS Josephson junction whose N region is in addition symmetrically connected to superconducting reservoirs through tunnel barriers (I). Biasing the SINIS line allows to modify the quasiparticle temperature in the weak link, thus controlling the Josephson current. We show that, in suitable voltage and temperature regimes, large supercurrent enhancements can be achieved with respect to equilibrium, due to electron ``cooling'' generated by the control voltage. The extremely low power dissipation intrinsic to the structure makes this device relevant for a number of electronic applications.
08/2003;
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ABSTRACT: A superconductor-normal metal-superconductor (SNS) transistor based on superconducting microcoolers is presented. The proposed four-terminal device consists of a long SNS Josephson junction whose N region is, in addition, symmetrically connected to superconducting reservoirs through tunnel barriers (I). Biasing the SINIS line allows modification of the quasiparticle temperature in the weak link, thus controlling the Josephson current. We show that, in suitable voltage and temperature regimes, large supercurrent enhancements can be achieved with respect to equilibrium, due to electron "cooling" generated by the control voltage. The extremely low-power dissipation intrinsic to the structure makes this device relevant for a number of electronic applications. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.
Applied Physics Letters 01/2003; 83(14):2877-2879. · 3.84 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: A promising scheme for electron microrefrigeration based on ferromagnet-superconductor contacts is presented. In this setup, cooling power densities up to 600 nW/$\mu$m$^2$ can be achieved leading to electronic temperature reductions largely exceeding those obtained with existing superconductor-normal metal tunnel contacts. Half-metallic CrO$_2$/Al bilayers are indicated as ideal candidates for the implementation of the device. Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Applied Physics Letters
03/2002;
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ABSTRACT: We analyze the broad range of spin-dependent nonequilibrium transport properties of hybrid systems composed of a normal region tunnel coupled to two superconductors with exchange fields induced by the proximity to thin ferromagnetic layers and highlight its functionalities. By calculating the quasiparticle distribution functions in the normal region, we find that they are spin dependent and strongly sensitive to the relative angle between exchange fields in the two superconductors. The impact of inelastic collisions on their properties is addressed. As a result, the electric current flowing through the system is found to be strongly dependent on the relative angle between exchange fields, giving rise to a huge value of magnetoresistance. Moreover, the current presents a complete spin polarization in a wide range of bias voltages, even in the quasiequilibrium case. In the nonequilibrium limit, we parametrize the distributions with an effective temperature, which turns out to be strongly spin dependent, though quite sensitive to inelastic collisions. By tunnel coupling the normal region to an additional superconducting electrode, we show that it is possible to implement a spin-polarized current source of both spin species, depending on the bias voltages applied.
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[show abstract]
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ABSTRACT: We analyze the broad range of spin-dependent nonequilibrium transport properties of hybrid systems composed of a normal region tunnel coupled to two superconductors with exchange fields induced by the proximity to thin ferromagnetic layers and highlight its functionalities. By calculating the quasiparticle distribution functions in the normal region, we find that they are spin dependent and strongly sensitive to the relative angle between exchange fields in the two superconductors. The impact of inelastic collisions on their properties is addressed. As a result, the electric current flowing through the system is found to be strongly dependent on the relative angle between exchange fields, giving rise to a huge value of magnetoresistance. Moreover, the current presents a complete spin polarization in a wide range of bias voltages, even in the quasiequilibrium case. In the nonequilibrium limit, we parametrize the distributions with an effective temperature, which turns out to be strongly spin dependent, though quite sensitive to inelastic collisions. By tunnel coupling the normal region to an additional superconducting electrode, we show that it is possible to implement a spin-polarized current source of both spin species, depending on the bias voltages applied.
