Remarks about the Zeeman splitting in quantum dots and single atom transistors

An empirical formula is proposed to calculate the Kondo temperature in quantum point contacts from the Zeeman splitting. A similar formula was used in the point-contact spectroscopy (PCS) method to obtain from the Zeeman splitting of the Kondo peak in the characteristics of the classical Kondo alloys AuFe and CuMn [1]. Using this formula, it is possible to find the Kondo temperature taking into account the temperature of the experiment and Lande factor of the compounds.Comment: 5 pages, 3 Fig

Point-contact spectroscopy of superconductors in the nonequilibrium state

A phase transition of the region of the superconductor near the point contact into a new nonequi- librium state at the critical density of nonequilibriumquasiparticles is observed.Comment: 3 pages, 3 figure

Critical current density in the superconducting ceramic La1.8Sr0.2CuO4\rm La_{1.8}Sr_{0.2}CuO_4 in S-c-N point contacts

Measurement of the current-voltage characteristics of point contacts makes it possible to study the properties of individual crystallites in a superconducting ceramic. The critical current density in the superconducting regions of the ceramic $\rm La_{1.8}Sr_{0.2}CuO_4$, with a size of the order of several tens of angstroms, is found to attain values of $10^8\ A/cm^2$, which are of the same order of magnitude as the pair-breaking current density, as evaluated from the formulas of the standard theory of superconductivity.Comment: 2 pages, 2 figure

Reabsorption of nonequilibrium phonons at superconducting point contacts

When there is a deviation from the inequality $d\ll {{l}_{\varepsilon }}$ ($d$ is the contact diameter, and ${{l}_{\varepsilon }}$ is the energy relaxation length of the electrons), structural features are produced on the current-voltage characteristics of $S-c-N$ contacts at characteristic phonon energies because of the decrease in $\Delta$ due to the accumulation of nonequilibrium phonons with low group velocities near the contact.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Spectroscopy of phonons in dirty superconducting contacts

The nonlinearities of current-voltage characteristics (IVC) of superconducting niobium point contacts for voltages of the order of the characteristic phonon frequencies are investigated. It is shown that in limiting by dirty contacts ${{l}_{1}}\ll d$ , (${{l}_{1}}$ is the momentum mean-free path of electrons), features are observed on the IVC corresponding to maxima in the first or second derivatives and are situated at energies close to the characteristic phonon energies. These features are due to the energy dependence of the excess current, since the nonlinearity of the IVC in the normal state is several times smaller in absolute magnitude, and its second derivative is monotonic. For a contact diameter $d$ of the order of several tens of angstroms (the contact resistance is of the order of 100 $\Omega$), the thermal effects can be neglected. It is assumed that in the region of the constriction, the characteristic lengths of the system satisfy the relation $\xi \gtrsim d>{{\Lambda }_{\varepsilon }}$ (${{\Lambda }_{\varepsilon }}$ is the diffusion length for energy relaxation of the electrons, $\xi$ is the coherence length) which makes possible inelastic transitions of electrons between pair chemical potentials differing in energy by an account $eV$ ($V$ is the voltage drop across the contact)Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure

Point-contact spectra of 2H−NbSe22H-NbS{{e}_{2}} in the superconducting state

A qualitative study of the electron-phonon interaction (EPI) spectra in $2H-NbS{{e}_{2}}$ is carried out by the method of point-contact spectroscopy in the superconducting state. Anisotropy of the EPI spectra for contacts oriented in the principal crystallographic directions (along the $c$ axis and parallel to the basal surface) was observed. Approximate values of the positions of the main features in the phonon density of states were established for both directions. The additional low-frequency peaks observed in the spectra for separate crystallographic orientations are associated with the collective oscillations of the amplitude and phase of charge density waves.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure

Relaxation of nonequilibrium quasiparticles in a superconductor normal metal point contact

The point-contact spectra of tantalum in the superconducting state, with $Ta$, $Cu$, and $Au$ counterelectrodes, have been studied. We discovered some new distinctive features, whose position on the $eV$ axis is determined by the critical power required for the injection of nonequilibriumquasiparticles. At this level of power the band gap $\Delta$ decreases abruptly in the vicinity of the contact. A correction to the point-contact spectrum, with the sign opposite to that of the usual correction, arises in the region of phonon energies. The maxima in the $Ta$ spectrum become sharper and their position on the energy axis becomes stabilized near the values $e{{V}_{ph}}=7.0$, 11.3, 15.5, and 18 $meV$, which correspond to low phonon group velocities $\partial \omega /\partial q\simeq 0$ in $Ta$. This is confirmed by the existence of corresponding flattenings on the dispersion relations $\omega (q)$ of lattice vibrations. Slow phonons are created near the $N-S$ interface in quasiparticle recombination and relaxation processes and cause a decrease in $\Delta$ and an increase in the differential resistance in the vicinity of $e{{V}_{ph}}$. An excess quasiparticle charge is accumulated in the region of the contact, producing a correction to the resistance, which decreases as $eV$, $T$, and $H$ increase. These mechanisms are particularly effective in dirty contacts, thus permitting phonon spectroscopy in the superconducting state even when the current flow occurs in a nearly thermal mode.Comment: 13 pages, 16 figure

Investigation of the electron-phonon interaction in Nb3SnN{{b}_{3}}Sn with the aid of microcontacts

The method of microcontact spectroscopy in the superconducting state was used to investigate weak nonlinearities of the current-voltage characteristics of point contacts made of $N{{b}_{3}}Sn$ single crystals. The nature of the spectrum of the electron-phonon interaction was found to vary considerably from contact to contact, indicating considerable deviations of the composition of the surface of $N{{b}_{3}}Sn$ from stoichiometry. A correlation was established between the nature of the spectrum and the magnitude of the gap singularities of the current-voltage characteristics. In the case of "dirty" high-resistance contacts with strong gap singularities the microcontact spectra were reasonably reproducible, which made it possible to relate them sufficiently closely to the microcontact function of the electron-phonon interaction in the bulk material. It was found that microcontact spectroscopy of this interaction was possible in the superconducting state not only in dirty $S-c-S$ contacts, but also in dirty $S-c-N$ contacts.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Enhancement of Kondo Temperature in Nanometer-Size Point Contacts

Point-contact spectroscopy is applied to study the energy dependence of paramagnetic impurities in noble metals. The samples are in the form of the so-called "mechanically controllable break-junctions" where the investigated piece of alloy makes a nanowire connecting two bulk electrodes.The lateral dimensions of the bridge are of the order of a few nm and can be continuously changed. Three qualitative dependences manifest the size effect while decreasing the contact diameter: 1) Intensity of Kondo peak due to Kondo scattering in point-contact spectra decreases slower than the nonlinearities due to phonon scatterings, 2) The width of the Kondo peak becomes broder, and 3) Due to the Zeeman energy, the splitting of Kondo peak in external and internal (for a spin glass) fields, is suppressed. Explanation of the phenomena is given in terms of the theory of Zarand and Udvardi where the local density of states (LDOS) of conduction electron fluctuates strongly inside a nanowire due to interference of electronic states. Since Kondo effect is a local probe of LDOS, the impurities located close to the maxima of LDOS show the increase of the Kondo temperature and give the primary contribution to the contact resistance.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures presented at NATO ARW "Size Dependent Magnetic Scattering", Pecs, Hungary, 28 May - i June, 200

Spin dynamics in point contacts to single ferromagnetic films

Excitation of magnons or spin-waves driven by nominally unpolarized transport currents in point contacts of normal and ferromagnetic metals is probed by irradiating the contacts with microwaves. Two characteristic dynamic effects are observed: a rectification of off-resonance microwave current by spin-wave nonlinearities in the point contact conductance, and a resonant stimulation of spin-wave modes in the nano-contact core by the microwave field. These observations provide a direct evidence that the magnetoconductance effects observed are due to GHz spin dynamics at the ferromagnetic interface driven by the spin transfer torque effect of the transport current