Spatially resolved study of the dynamics of Josephson tunnel junctions

S. G. Lachenmann; T. Doderer; R. P. Huebener; D. Quenter; J. Niemeyer; R. Pöpel

doi:10.1103/PhysRevB.48.3295

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Spatially resolved study of the dynamics of Josephson tunnel junctions

S. G. Lachenmann, T. Doderer, R. P. Huebener, D. Quenter, J. Niemeyer, R. Pöpel

DOI 10.1103/PhysRevB.48.3295 · Physical Review B

T1

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Abstract

By scanning superconducting Nb/Al2O3/Nb tunnel junctions of various geometries with an electron beam at low temperatures we have obtained spatially resolved two-dimensional images related with the dynamics of the junctions. In a current-biased junction the local thermal perturbation effected by the beam results in a voltage change ΔV representing a convenient imaging-response signal. The spatial resolution is limited by a characteristic thermal healing length with a value of about 2 μm in our experiments. We analyze our results in terms of the sine-Gordon equation. For the interpretation of the spatially resolved voltage signal ΔV we extend the energetic analysis of the perturbed sine-Gordon system of McLaughlin and Scott by including the beam-induced local thermal perturbation. Our model allows the quantitative comparison of our experimental two-dimensional images with the local dynamics expected from the perturbed sine-Gordon equation. Our experiments include the observation of single-mode and multiple-mode cavity resonances, soliton oscillations, and flux-flow behavior.

Source-reported materials — not catalogue approval

Formula	Reported Tc (K)	Pressure (GPa)	Type
Nb Archive — visibility unverified Source-occurrence policy only; no material identity or catalogue acceptance is inferred from the formula.	—	Pressure not reported	unknown