Coherent transport through a T-shaped mesoscopic superconducting junction

N. K. Allsopp; C. J. Lambert

doi:10.1103/PhysRevB.50.3972

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Coherent transport through a T-shaped mesoscopic superconducting junction

N. K. Allsopp, C. J. Lambert

DOI 10.1103/PhysRevB.50.3972 · Physical Review B

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Abstract

We highlight a ‘‘transverse’’ interference effect, arising from the coupling between electrons and holes, induced by a superconducting island in contact with a normal metal. As an example we compute the electrical conductance G of a T-shaped mesoscopic sample, formed by joining a horizontal bar of normal metal to a vertical leg of the same material. With a superconducting island located on the vertical leg and the current flowing horizontally, we examine the dependence of G on the distance L of the island from the horizontal bar. Of particular interest is the differential conductance G(E) at an applied voltage E=eV, which due to quantum interference between electrons and Andreev reflected holes, is predicted to oscillate with both L and E. For a system with a spherical Fermi surface, the period of oscillation with E is πEF/kFL and with L is πEF/kFE, where EF is the Fermi energy and kF the Fermi wave vector.