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Title: Quantum ground state effect on fluctuation rates in nano-patterned superconducting structures

Journal Article · · Applied Physics Letters
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4846296· OSTI ID:22253797
;  [1];  [2];  [3]
  1. Institute for Quantum Computing, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave West, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1 (Canada)
  2. Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 (United States)
  3. University of British Columbia, 2329 West Mall Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4 Canada (Canada)

In this Letter, we present a theoretical model with experimental verifications to describe the abnormal behaviors of the measured fluctuation rates occurring in nano-patterned superconducting structures below the critical temperature. In the majority of previous works, it is common to describe the fluctuation rate by defining a fixed ground state or initial state level for the singularities (vortex or vortex-antivortex pairs), and then employing the well-known rate equations to calculate the liberation rates. Although this approach gives an acceptable qualitative picture, without utilizing free parameters, all the models have been inadequate in describing the temperature dependence of the rate for a fixed width or the width dependence of the rate for a fixed temperature. Here, we will show that by defining a current-controlled ground state level for both the vortex and vortex-antivortex liberation mechanisms, the dynamics of these singularities are described for a wide range of temperatures and widths. According to this study, for a typical strip width, not only is the vortex-antivortex liberation higher than the predicted rate, but also quantum tunneling is significant in certain conditions and can not be neglected.

OSTI ID:
22253797
Journal Information:
Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 103, Issue 24; Other Information: (c) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0003-6951
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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