Search results for "quantum fluctuation"

Coulomb Blockade and Bloch Oscillations in Superconducting Ti Nanowires

2012

Quantum fluctuations in quasi-one-dimensional superconducting channels leading to spontaneous changes of the phase of the order parameter by $2\pi$, alternatively called quantum phase slips (QPS), manifest themselves as the finite resistance well below the critical temperature of thin superconducting nanowires and the suppression of persistent currents in tiny superconducting nanorings. Here we report the experimental evidence that in a current-biased superconducting nanowire the same QPS process is responsible for the insulating state -- the Coulomb blockade. When exposed to RF radiation, the internal Bloch oscillations can be synchronized with the external RF drive leading to formation of…

Fabrication of Quasi-One-Dimensional Superconducting Micro- and Nanostructures

2007

Wires capable of conducting electric current are basic blocks of all electronic applications. Of particular interest for nanoelectronics are superconducting elements taking advantage of the superconductor's macroscopic quantum coherence and zero resistance. Recently there appeared indications that due to quantum fluctuations the dissipationless electric current (supercurrent) can be suppressed in ultra-narrow superconducting channels with the effective diameter below approximately 10 nm. In this Review we will describe methods of fabrication of quasi-one-dimensional superconducting micro- and nanowires suitable for electric transport measurements at cryogenic temperatures. In the first sect…

Quantum fluctuations in ultranarrow superconducting aluminum nanowires

2008

Progressive reduction of the effective diameter of a nanowire is applied to trace evolution of the shape of the superconducting transition $R(T)$ in quasi-one-dimensional aluminum structures. In nanowires with effective diameter $\ensuremath{\leqslant}15\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{nm}$ the $R(T)$ dependences are much wider than predicted by the model of thermally activated phase slips. The effect can be explained by quantum fluctuations of the order parameter. Negative magnetoresistance is observed in the thinnest samples. Experimental results are in reasonable agreement with existing theoretical models. The effect should have a universal validity, indicating a breakdown of the zero-…

Quantum phase slip phenomenon in ultra-narrow superconducting nanorings

2012

The smaller the system, typically - the higher is the impact of fluctuations. In narrow superconducting wires sufficiently close to the critical temperature Tc thermal fluctuations are responsible for the experimentally observable finite resistance. Quite recently it became possible to fabricate sub-10 nm superconducting structures, where the finite resistivity was reported within the whole range of experimentally obtainable temperatures. The observation has been associated with quantum fluctuations capable to quench zero resistivity in superconducting nanowires even at temperatures T-->0. Here we demonstrate that in tiny superconducting nanorings the same phenomenon is responsible for s…

The quantum phase slip phenomenon in superconducting nanowires with a low-Ohmic environment

2012

In a number of recent experiments it has been demonstrated that in ultra-narrow superconducting channels quantum fluctuations of the order parameter, alternatively called quantum phase slips, are responsible for the finite resistance well below the critical temperature. The acceptable agreement between those experiments and the models describing quantum fluctuations in quasi-one-dimensional superconductors has been established. However the very concept of the phase slip is justified when these fluctuations are the relatively rare events, meaning that the effective resistance of the system should be much smaller than the normal state equivalent. In this paper we study the limit of the strong…

Experimental Study of the Fluctuation-Governed Resistive State in Quasi-One-Dimensional Superconductors

2011

Physical properties of quasi-one-dimensional superconducting channels (nanowires) can differ significantly from those of bulk superconductors. The reason behind is the impact of thermal and quantum fluctuations. In the particular case of resistive measurements the fluctuations may significantly broaden the superconducting transition R(T). Here we review the activities in the field with main emphasis on experiment, while brief theoretical background is also presented.

Spatial correlations of vacuum fluctuations and the Casimir-Polder potential

2003

We calculate the Casimir-Polder intermolecular potential using an effective Hamiltonian recently introduced. We show that the potential can be expressed in terms of the dynamical polarizabilities of the two atoms and the equal-time spatial correlation of the electric field in the vacuum state. This gives support to an interesting physical model recently proposed in the literature, where the potential is obtained from the classical interaction between the instantaneous atomic dipoles induced and correlated by the vacuum fluctuations. Also, the results obtained suggest a more general validity of this intuitive model, for example when external boundaries or thermal fields are present.

Relaxion fluctuations (self-stopping relaxion) and overview of relaxion stopping mechanisms

2020

Journal of high energy physics 2005(5), 80 (2020). doi:10.1007/JHEP05(2020)080

Quantum fluctuations and correlations in equilibrium and nonequilibrium thermodynamics

2014

Review of proton and nuclear shape fluctuations at high energy

2020

Determining the inner structure of protons and nuclei in terms of their fundamental constituents has been one of the main tasks of high energy nuclear and particle physics experiments. This quest started as a mapping of the (average) parton densities as a function of longitudinal momentum fraction and resolution scale. Recently, the field has progressed to more differential imaging, where one important development is the description of the event-by-event quantum fluctuations in the wave function of the colliding hadron. In this Review, recent developments on the extraction of proton and nuclear transverse geometry with event-by-event fluctuations from collider experiments at high energy is …