Subscribe to the gold package and get unlimited access to Shamra Academy
Register a new userEvidence of Andreev blockade in a double quantum dot coupled to a superconductor
84
0
0.0
(
0
)
Ask ChatGPT about the research
No Arabic abstract
We design and investigate an experimental system capable of entering an electron transport blockade regime in which a spin-triplet localized in the path of current is forbidden from entering a spin-singlet superconductor. To stabilize the triplet a double quantum dot is created electrostatically near a superconducting lead in an InAs nanowire. The dots are filled stochastically with electrons of either spin. The superconducting lead is a molecular beam epitaxy grown Al shell. The shell is etched away over a wire segment to make room for the double dot and the normal metal gold lead. The quantum dot closest to the normal lead exhibits Coulomb diamonds, the dot closest to the superconducting lead exhibits Andreev bound states and an induced gap. The experimental observations compare favorably to a theoretical model of Andreev blockade, named so because the triplet double dot configuration suppresses Andreev reflections. Observed leakage currents can be accounted for by finite temperature. We observe the predicted quadruple level degeneracy points of high current and a periodic conductance pattern controlled by the occupation of the normal dot. Even-odd transport asymmetry is lifted with increased temperature and magnetic field. This blockade phenomenon can be used to study spin structure of superconductors. It may also find utility in quantum computing devices that utilize Andreev or Majorana states.
rate research
Read More
We study the transport properties of a hybrid nanostructure composed of a ferromagnet, two quantum dots, and a superconductor connected in series. By using the non-equilibrium Greens function approach, we have calculated the electric current, the differential conductance and the transmittance for energies within the superconductor gap. In this regime, the mechanism of charge transmission is the Andreev reflection, which allows for a control of the current through the ferromagnet polarization. We have also included interdot and intradot interactions, and have analyzed their influence through a mean field approximation. In the presence of interactions, Coulomb blockade tend to localized the electrons at the double-dot system, leading to an asymmetric pattern for the density of states at the dots, and thus reducing the transmission probability through the device. In particular, for non-zero polarization, the intradot interaction splits the spin degeneracy, reducing the maximum value of the current due to different spin-up and spin-down densities of states. Negative differential conductance (NDC) appears for some regions of the voltage bias, as a result of the interplay of the Andreev scattering with electronic correlations. By applying a gate voltage at the dots, one can tune the effect, changing the voltage region where this novel phenomenon appears. This mechanism to control the current may be of importance in technological applications.
Sub-gap transport properties of a quantum dot (QD) coupled to two superconducting and one metallic leads are studied theoretically, solving the time-dependent equation of motion by the Laplace transform technique. We focus on time-dependent response of the system induced by a sudden switching on the QD-leads couplings, studying the influence of initial conditions on the transient currents and the differential conductance. We derive analytical expressions for measurable quantities and find that they oscillate in time with the frequency governed by the QD-superconducting lead coupling and acquire damping, due to relaxation driven by the normal lead. Period of these oscillations increases with the superconducting phase difference $phi$. In particular, for $phi=pi$ the QD occupancy and the normal current evolve monotonically (without any oscillations) to their stationary values. In such case the induced electron pairing vanishes and the superconducting current is completely blocked. We also analyze time-dependent development of the Andreev bound states. We show, that the measurable conductance peaks do not appear immediately after sudden switching of the QD coupling to external leads but it takes some finite time-interval for the system needs create these Andreev states. Such time-delay is mainly controlled by the QD-normal lead coupling.
We analyze the influence of a local pairing on the quantum interference in nanoscopic systems. As a model system we choose the double quantum dot coupled to one metallic and one superconducting electrode in the T-shape geometry. The analysis is particularly valuable for systems containing coupled objects with considerably different broadening of energy levels. In such systems, the scattering of itinerant electrons on a discrete (or narrow) energy level gives rise to the Fano-type interference. Systems with induced superconducting order, along well understood Fano resonances, exhibit also another features on the opposite side of the Fermi level. The lineshape of these resonances differs significantly from their reflection on the opposite side of the Fermi level, and their origin was not fully understood. Here, considering the spin-polarized tunneling model, we explain a microscopic mechanism of a formation of these resonances and discuss the nature of their uncommon lineshapes. We show that the anomalous Fano profiles originate solely from the pairing of nonscattered electrons with scattered ones. We investigate also the interplay of each type of resonances with the Kondo physics and discuss the resonant features in differential conductivity.
We have measured the non-local resistance of aluminum-iron spin-valve structures fabricated by e-beam lithography and shadow evaporation. The sample geometry consists of an aluminum bar with two or more ferromagnetic wires forming point contacts to the aluminum at varying distances from each other. In the normal state of aluminum, we observe a spin-valve signal which allows us to control the relative orientation of the magnetizations of the ferromagnetic contacts. In the superconducting state, at low temperatures and excitation voltages well below the gap, we observe a spin-dependent non-local resistance which decays on a smaller length scale than the normal-state spin-valve signal. The sign, magnitude and decay length of this signal is consistent with predictions made for crossed Andreev reflection (CAR).
We propose a three-terminal structure to probe robust signatures of Majorana zero modes consisting of a quantum dot coupled to the normal metal, s-wave superconducting and Majorana Y-junction leads. The zero-bias differential conductance at zero temperature of the normal-metal lead peaks at $2e^{2}/h$, which will be deflected after Majorana braiding. We find that the effect of thermal broadening is significantly suppressed when the dot is on resonance. In the case that the energy level of the quantum dot is much larger than the superconducting gap, tunneling processes are dominated by Majorana-induced crossed Andreev reflection. Particularly, a novel kind of crossed Andreev reflection equivalent to the splitting of charge quanta $3e$ occurs after Majorana braiding.
Log in to be able to interact and post comments
comments
Fetching comments
Sign in to be able to follow your search criteria
