Fraunhofer patterns for Josephson junctions in narrow thin-films with vortices trapped in one of the banks

It is shown that a vortex trapped in one of the banks of a planar edge-type Josephson junction in a narrow thin-film superconducting strip can change drastically the field dependence of the junction critical current $I_c(H)$. When the vortex is trapped at certain positions in the strip middle, the pattern $I_c(H)$ has zero at $H=0$ instead of the traditional maximum of 0-type junctions. The number of these positions is equal to the number of vortices trapped at the same location. When the junction-vortex separation exceeds approximately $2W$, $I_c(H)$ is no longer sensitive to the vortex presence.

Josephson junctions in narrow thin-film strips

We study the field dependence of the maximum supercurrent in narrow edge-type thin-film Josephson junctions. It is assumed that the junction extends across thin-film strip of width W that is much less than the Pearl length; the film thickness is much less than the London penetration depth. We calculate the maximum supercurrent within nonlocal Josephson electrodynamics, which takes into account the stray fields affecting tunneling currents. In the case when W is much less than the thin-film Josephson length, the phase difference along the junction depends only on the junction geometry and the applied field, but is independent of the Josephson critical current density, i.e., it is universal. Zeros of the maximum supercurrent are equidistant only in large fields (unlike the case of junctions with bulk banks); they are spaced by a field that is much smaller than the one of bulk junctions. Peaks of the maximum supercurrent decrease inversely proportional to the square root of the applied field, i.e., slower than 1/H for the bulk.

Maximum supercurrent in Josephson junctions with alternating critical current density

We consider theoretically and numerically magnetic field dependencies of the maximum supercurrent across Josephson tunnel junctions with spatially alternating critical current density. We find that two flux-penetration fields and one-splinter-vortex equilibrium state exist in long junctions.

High-field vortices in Josephson junctions with alternating critical current density

We study long Josephson junctions with the critical current density alternating along the junction. New equilibrium states, which we call the field synchronized or FS states, are shown to exist if the applied field is from narrow intervals centered around equidistant series of resonant fields, $H_m$. The values of $H_m$ are much higher than the flux penetration field, $H_s$. The flux per period of the alternating critical current density, $phi_i$, is fixed for each of the FS states. In the $m$-th FS state the value of $phi_i$ is equal to an integer amount of flux quanta, $phi_i =mphi_0$. Two types of single Josephson vortices carrying fluxes $phi_0$ or/and $phi_0/2$ can exist in the FS states. Specific stepwise resonances in the current-voltage characteristics are caused by periodic motion of these vortices between the edges of the junction.

Shapiro steps in Josephson junctions with alternating critical current density

We treat theoretically Shapiro steps in tunnel Josephson junctions with spatially alternating critical current density. Explicit analytical formulas for the width of the first integer (normal) and half-integer (anomalous) Shapiro steps are derived for short junctions. We develop coarse-graining approach, which describes Shapiro steps in the voltage-current curves of the asymmetric grain boundaries in YBCO thin films and different superconductor-ferromagnet-superconductor Josephson-type heterostructures.