5 research outputs found
Critical voltage of a mesoscopic superconductor
We study the role of the quasiparticle distribution function f on the
properties of a superconducting nanowire. We employ a numerical calculation
based upon the Usadel equation. Going beyond linear response, we find a
non-thermal distribution for f caused by an applied bias voltage. We
demonstrate that the even part of f (the energy mode f_L) drives a first order
transition from the superconducting state to the normal state irrespective of
the current
Influence of photon-assisted tunneling on heat flow in a normal metal - superconductor tunnel junction
We have investigated theoretically the influence of an AC drive on heat
transport in a hybrid normal metal - superconductor tunnel junction in the
photon-assisted tunneling regime. We find that the useful heat flux out from
the normal metal is always reduced as compared to its magnitude under the
static and quasi-static drive conditions. Our results are useful to predict the
operative conditions of AC driven superconducting electron refrigerators.Comment: 10 pages, 8 colour figures, published versio