140 research outputs found
Mesoscopic supercurrent transistor controlled by nonequilibrium cooling
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-function
theory and take into account the effects of inelastic scattering with arbitrary
strength. Supercurrent enhancement and suppression, including a marked
transition to a -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.Comment: 8 pages, 9 figures, submitted to Journal of Low Temperature Physic
Tailoring Josephson coupling through superconductivity-induced nonequilibrium
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-function
theory and take into account the effects of inelastic scattering with arbitrary
strength. Supercurrent enhancement and suppression, including a marked
transition to a -junction are striking features leading to a fully tunable
structure.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Cooling electrons by magnetic-field tuning of Andreev reflection
A solid-state cooling principle based on magnetic-field-driven tunable
suppression of Andreev reflection in superconductor/two-dimensional electron
gas nanostructures is proposed. This cooling mechanism can lead to very large
heat fluxes per channel up to 10^4 times greater than currently achieved with
superconducting tunnel junctions. This efficacy and its availability in a
two-dimensional electron system make this method of particular relevance for
the implementation of quantum nanostructures operating at cryogenic
temperatures.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, published versio
Manipulation and Generation of Supercurrent in Out-of-Equilibrium Josephson Tunnel Nanojunctions
We demonstrate experimentally manipulation of supercurrent in Al-AlO_x-Ti
Josephson tunnel junctions by injecting quasiparticles in a Ti island from two
additional tunnel-coupled Al superconducting reservoirs. Both supercurrent
enhancement and quenching with respect to equilibrium are achieved. We
demonstrate cooling of the Ti line by quasiparticle injection from the normal
state deep into the superconducting phase. A model based on heat transport and
non-monotonic current-voltage characteristic of a Josephson junction
satisfactorily accounts for our findings.Comment: 4 pages, 4 colour figures, published versio
Manipulating nonequilibrium magnetism through superconductors
Electrostatic control of the magnetization of a normal mesoscopic conductor
is analyzed in a hybrid superconductor-normal-superconductor system. This
effect stems from the interplay between the non-equilibrium condition in the
normal region and the Zeeman splitting of the quasiparticle density of states
of the superconductor subjected to a static in-plane magnetic field. Unexpected
spin-dependent effects such as magnetization suppression, diamagnetic-like
response of the susceptibility as well as spin-polarized current generation are
the most remarkable features presented. The impact of scattering events is
evaluated and let us show that this effect is compatible with realistic
material properties and fabrication techniques.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Surface acoustic wave-induced electroluminescence intensity oscillation in planar light-emitting devices
Electroluminescence emission from surface acoustic wave-driven light-emitting
diodes (SAWLEDs) is studied by means of time-resolved techniques. We show that
the intensity of the SAW-induced electroluminescence is modulated at the SAW
frequency (~1 GHz), demonstrating electron injection into the p-type region
synchronous with the SAW wavefronts.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Large transconductance oscillations in a single-well vertical Aharonov-Bohm interferometer
Aharonov-Bohm (AB) interference is reported for the first time in the
conductance of a vertical nanostructure based on a single GaAs/AlGaAs quantum
well (QW). The two lowest subbands of the well are spatially separated by the
Hartree barrier originating from electronic repulsion in the modulation-doped
QW and provide AB two-path geometry. Split-gates control the in-plane
electronic momentum dispersion. In our system, we have clearly demonstrated AB
interference in both electrostatic and magnetic modes. In the latter case the
magnetic field was applied parallel to the QW plane, and perpendicular to the
0.02 um^2 AB loop. In the electrostatic mode of operation the single-QW scheme
adopted led to large transconductance oscillations with relative amplitudes
exceeding 30 %. The relevance of the present design strategy for the
implementation of coherent nanoelectronic devices is underlined.Comment: Accepted for publication on Physical Review B Rapid Communication
Evidence for non-linear quasiparticle tunneling between fractional quantum Hall edges
Remarkable nonlinearities in the differential tunneling conductance between
fractional quantum Hall edge states at a constriction are observed in the
weak-backscattering regime. In the = 1/3 state a peak develops as
temperature is increased and its width is determined by the fractional charge.
In the range this width displays a symmetric behavior
around = 1/2. We discuss the consistency of these results with available
theoretical predictions for inter-edge quasiparticle tunneling in the
weak-backscattering regime
Electrostatic Control of the Thermoelectric Figure of Merit in Ion-Gated Nanotransistors
Semiconductor nanostructures have raised much hope for the implementation of high-performance thermoelectric generators. Indeed, they are expected to make available reduced thermal conductivity without a heavy trade-off on electrical conductivity, a key requirement to optimize the thermoelectric figure of merit. Here, a novel nanodevice architecture is presented in which ionic liquids are employed as thermally-insulating gate dielectrics. These devices allow the field-effect control of electrical transport in suspended semiconducting nanowires in which thermal conductivity can be simultaneously measured using an all-electrical setup. The resulting experimental data on electrical and thermal transport properties taken on individual nanodevices can be combined to extract ZT, guide device optimization and dynamical tuning of the thermoelectric properties
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