Enhancement of parametric pumping due to Andreev reflection

We report properties of parametric electron pumping in the presence of a superconducting lead. Due to a constructive interference between the direct reflection and the multiple Andreev reflection, the pumped current is greatly enhanced. For both quantum point contacts and double barrier structures at resonance, we obtain exact solutions in the weak pumping regime showing that $I_p^{NS} = 4 I_p^N$, which should be compared with the result of conductance $G_{NS} = 2G_N$. Numerical results are also provided for the strong pumping regime showing interesting Andreev assisted pumping behaviour

Nonlinear I-V Characteristics of a Mesoscopic Conductor

We present a general theoretical formulation, based on nonequilibrium Green's functions, for nonlinear DC transport in multi-probe mesoscopic conductors. The theory is gauge invariant and is useful for the predictions of current-voltage characteristics and the nonequilibrium charge pile-ups inside the conductor. We have provided a detailed comparison between the gauge invariant scattering matrix theory and our theory. We have also given several examples where the I-V curve can be obtained analytically. The effects of exchange and correlation have been considered explicitly