中国物理B ›› 2016, Vol. 25 ›› Issue (9): 97403-097403.doi: 10.1088/1674-1056/25/9/097403

• CONDENSED MATTER: ELECTRONIC STRUCTURE, ELECTRICAL, MAGNETIC, AND OPTICAL PROPERTIES • 上一篇    下一篇

Novel 0-π transitions in Josephson junctions between noncentrosymmetric superconductors

Jun-Feng Liu(刘军丰), Huan Zhang(张欢), Jun Wang(汪军)   

  1. 1. Department of Physics, South University of Science and Technology of China, Shenzhen 518055, China;
    2. Department of Physics, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China
  • 收稿日期:2016-06-07 出版日期:2016-09-05 发布日期:2016-09-05
  • 通讯作者: Jun Wang E-mail:jwang@seu.edu.cn
  • 基金资助:
    Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 11204187 and 11274059).

Novel 0-π transitions in Josephson junctions between noncentrosymmetric superconductors

Jun-Feng Liu(刘军丰)1, Huan Zhang(张欢)1, Jun Wang(汪军)2   

  1. 1. Department of Physics, South University of Science and Technology of China, Shenzhen 518055, China;
    2. Department of Physics, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China
  • Received:2016-06-07 Online:2016-09-05 Published:2016-09-05
  • Contact: Jun Wang E-mail:jwang@seu.edu.cn
  • Supported by:
    Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 11204187 and 11274059).

摘要: We study the Josephson effect between two noncentrosymmetric superconductors (NCSs) with opposite polarization vectors of Rashba spin-orbit coupling (RSOC). We find a 0-π transition driven by the triplet-singlet ratio of NCSs. Different from conventional 0-π transitions, the Andreev bound states change their energy range instead of phase shift in the 0-π transition found here. This novel property results in a feature that the critical current becomes almost zero at the transition point, not only a minimum. Furthermore, when the directions of RSOC polarization vectors are the same in two NCSs, the similar effect can also be found in the presence of a perpendicular exchange field or a Dresselhause spin-orbit coupling in the interlayer. We find novel oscillations of critical current without 0-π transition. These novel 0-π transitions or oscillations of critical current present new understanding of the Josephson effect and can also serve as a tool to determine the unknown triplet-singlet ratio of NCSs.

关键词: noncentrosymmetric superconductors, Josephson effect, 0-π transition

Abstract: We study the Josephson effect between two noncentrosymmetric superconductors (NCSs) with opposite polarization vectors of Rashba spin-orbit coupling (RSOC). We find a 0-π transition driven by the triplet-singlet ratio of NCSs. Different from conventional 0-π transitions, the Andreev bound states change their energy range instead of phase shift in the 0-π transition found here. This novel property results in a feature that the critical current becomes almost zero at the transition point, not only a minimum. Furthermore, when the directions of RSOC polarization vectors are the same in two NCSs, the similar effect can also be found in the presence of a perpendicular exchange field or a Dresselhause spin-orbit coupling in the interlayer. We find novel oscillations of critical current without 0-π transition. These novel 0-π transitions or oscillations of critical current present new understanding of the Josephson effect and can also serve as a tool to determine the unknown triplet-singlet ratio of NCSs.

Key words: noncentrosymmetric superconductors, Josephson effect, 0-π transition

中图分类号:  (Tunneling phenomena; Josephson effects)

  • 74.50.+r
74.70.Tx (Heavy-fermion superconductors) 74.20.Rp (Pairing symmetries (other than s-wave))