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Coulomb blockade and Bloch oscillations in superconducting Ti nanowires
Quantum fluctuations in quasi-one-dimensional superconducting channels
leading to spontaneous changes of the phase of the order parameter by ,
alternatively called quantum phase slips (QPS), manifest themselves as the
finite resistance well below the critical temperature of thin superconducting
nanowires and the suppression of persistent currents in tiny superconducting
nanorings. Here we report the experimental evidence that in a current-biased
superconducting nanowire the same QPS process is responsible for the insulating
state -- the Coulomb blockade. When exposed to RF radiation, the internal Bloch
oscillations can be synchronized with the external RF drive leading to
formation of quantized current steps on the I-V characteristic. The effects
originate from the fundamental quantum duality of a Josephson junction and a
superconducting nanowire governed by QPS -- the QPS junction (QPSJ).Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
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