Local Control of Parity and Charge in Nanoscale Superconducting Lead Islands

Stefano Trivini; Jon Ortuzar; Katerina Vaxevani; Beatriz Viña-Bausá; F. Sebastian Bergeret; Jose Ignacio Pascual

doi:10.1103/vkwr-m87v

← Back to search

Local Control of Parity and Charge in Nanoscale Superconducting Lead Islands

Stefano Trivini, Jon Ortuzar, Katerina Vaxevani, Beatriz Viña-Bausá, F. Sebastian Bergeret, Jose Ignacio Pascual

DOI 10.1103/vkwr-m87v · Physical Review Letters

T1

Active bibliographic source — not scientific approval

Bibliographic access preserves source history; it does not approve extracted materials or validate reported claims. Review warnings on each occurrence separately.

Abstract

Small superconducting islands can exhibit charge quantization, where Coulomb interactions compete with Cooper pairing. Using scanning tunneling spectroscopy, we probe this interplay by measuring the charging energy (EC) and the pairing energy (Δ) of individual Pb nanoislands. Below a critical island size, where EC>Δ, we observe a crossover between even and odd parity ground states. By applying controlled voltage pulses, we continuously tune the island’s electrostatic potential and map the full charge-parity landscape. These results demonstrate tunable superconducting ground states, offering a potential platform for qubit design and control.

Source-reported materials — not catalogue approval

Formula	Reported Tc (K)	Pressure (GPa)	Type
Pb Archive — visibility unverified Source-occurrence policy only; no material identity or catalogue acceptance is inferred from the formula.	7.2	Pressure not reported	unknown
Pb Archive — visibility unverified Source-occurrence policy only; no material identity or catalogue acceptance is inferred from the formula.	—	Pressure not reported	unknown