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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Josephson currents in neutron stars

We demonstrate that the interface between S-wave and P-wave paired superfluids in neutron stars induces a neutron supercurrent, a charge-neutral analog of the Josephson junction effect in electronic superconductors. The proton supercurrent entrainment by the neutron superfluid generates, in addition to the neutral supercurrent, a charged current across the interface. Beyond this stationary effect, the motion of the neutron vortex lines responding to secular changes in the neutron star’s rotation rate induces a time-dependent oscillating Josephson current across this interface when proton flux tubes are dragged along with them. We show that such motion produces radiation from the interface once clusters of proton flux tubes intersect the interface. The power of radiation exceeds by orders of magnitude the Ohmic dissipation of currents in neutron stars. As a result, this effect appears to be phenomenologically significant enough to heat the star and alter its cooling rate during the photon cooling era.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1992

Josephson effect gain and noise in SIS mixers

Superconducting tunnel diode (SIS) mixers are used for radio astronomy from 100 to 500 GHz. They are being considered for NASA spaceborne astronomy at frequencies near 1000 GHz. Measurements of gain and noise in SIS mixers at 230 and 492 GHz are reported. Relatively high gain and noise associated with Josephson currents are measured that have not been previously reported. These measurements show that Josephson currents are increasingly important as operating frequencies are raised. The techniques used to make these measurements are discussed. Measurements made with hot and cold black-bodies are shown to be inaccurate at high frequencies.

Wengler, Michael J.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Parametrically amplified Josephson plasma waves in YBa 2 Cu 3 O 6+ x : Evidence for local superconducting fluctuations up to the pseudogap temperature T ∗

Experiments that subject underdoped YBa 2 Cu 3 O 6+x (YBCO) to intense terahertz pulses at temperatures between the transition temperature T c and the pseudogap scale T ∗ have revealed a reflectivity edge that resembles that of the superconducting state, together with second harmonic generation of a probe pulse modulated at a similar frequency. These have been interpreted in terms of parametric amplification of the lower Josephson plasmon mode. Since this mode is often associated with coherent oscillations between bilayers in the YBCO structure, these experiments have led to the suggestion that the intense pump has created (or revealed) in-plane pair coherence up to T ∗ ≈ 400 K. In this paper we propose an alternative explanation by assuming the existence of local pair amplitude and phase at equilibrium for T c < T < T ∗ . The phase correlation spans only a few lattice constants and we do not assume any pump-induced enhancement of this correlation, either in-plane or between bilayers. Instead, the coherent drive, via a parametric amplification process, induces coherence in the Josephson currents between members of bilayers. When combined with a Floquet framework, the reflectivity data can be explained. The key point is that in the lower Josephson plasmon, the coupling between bilayers is mainly capacitive; the Josephson current between bilayers can be set to zero without strongly affecting the parametric amplification process. Importantly, while superconducting coherence may not be created by the pump, the pseudogap phase must possess a local pairing amplitude at equilibrium. Consequently, these experiments have strong implications for the understanding of the pseudogap phase.

parametric amplification↗
NASA NTRS1972

Critical current periodicity of Josephson junction interferometers.

Numerical calculation of the critical current through a Josephson junction interferometer, taking into consideration the effect of applied and self-induced magnetic fields on the junctions and in the interference loop. The periodicity of the interference pattern is shown to be less than the flux quantum. Quantitative results are given which illustrate the degree of deviation in periodicity from the flux quantum.

Stuehm, D. L.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Atomic-scale frustrated Josephson coupling and multicondensate visualization in FeSe

In a Josephson junction involving multiband superconductors, competition between interband and interjunction Josephson couplings gives rise to frustration and spatial disjunction of superfluid densities among superconducting condensates. Such frustrated coupling manifests as the quantum interference of Josephson currents from different tunnelling channels and becomes tunable if channel transparency can be varied. To explore these unconventional effects in the prototypical s ± -wave superconductor FeSe, we use atomic-resolution scanned Josephson tunnelling microscopy for condensate-resolved imaging and junction tuning—capabilities unattainable in macroscopic Josephson devices with fixed characteristics. We quantitatively demonstrate frustrated Josephson tunnelling by examining two tunnelling inequalities. The relative transparency of two parallel tunnelling pathways is found tunable, revealing a tendency towards a 0–π transition with decreasing scanned Josephson tunnelling microscopy junction resistance. Here, the simultaneous visualization of both superconducting condensates reveals anticorrelated superfluid modulations, highlighting the role of interband scattering. Our study establishes scanned Josephson tunnelling microscopy as a powerful tool enabling new research frontiers of multicondensate superconductivity.

Scanning probe microscopy↗
DOE OSTI2025

Possible Spin-Triplet Excitonic Insulator in the Ultraquantum Limit of HfTe 5

More than 50 years ago, excitonic insulators formed by the pairing of electrons and holes due to Coulomb interactions were first predicted [A. N. Kozlov and L. A. Maksimov, Sov. J. Exp. Theor. Phys. 21, 790 (1965); L. V. Keldysh and Y. V. Kopaev, Sov. Phys. Solid State 6, 2219 (1965); D. Jérome, T. M. Rice, and W. Kohn, Phys. Rev. 158, 462 (1967)]. Since then, excitonic insulators have been observed in various classes of materials, including quantum Hall bilayers, graphite, transition metal chalcogenides, and more recently in moiré superlattices. In these excitonic insulators, an electron and a hole with the same spin bind together, and the resulting exciton is a spin singlet. Here, we report the experimental observation of a spin-triplet excitonic insulator in the ultra-quantum limit of a three-dimensional topological material HfTe 5 . We observe that the spin-polarized zeroth Landau bands dispersing along the field direction cross each other beyond a characteristic magnetic field in HfTe 5 , forming the one-dimensional Weyl mode. Transport measurements reveal the emergence of a gap of about 2⁢5⁢0 μ⁢eV when the field surpasses a critical threshold. By performing the material-specific modeling, we identify this gap as a consequence of a spin-triplet exciton formation, where electrons and holes with opposite spin form bound states, and the translational symmetry is preserved. The system reaches charge neutrality following the gap opening, as evidenced by the zero Hall conductivity over a wide magnetic field range (10–72 T). In conclusion, our finding of the spin-triplet excitonic insulator paves the way for studying novel spin transport including spin superfluidity, spin Josephson currents, and Coulomb drag of spin currents in analogy to the transport properties associated with the layer pseudospin in quantum Hall bilayers.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS1993

Superconducting Al-trilayer tunnel junctions for use as X-ray detectors

Photolithographic techniques have been developed to fabricate high-quality Al-Al oxide-Al superconducting tunnel junctions for use in X-ray detectors. These devices are designed to incorporate about 1-micron-thick superconducting X-ray absorbers for the detection of less than 10-keV single photons. In an effort to increase energy resolution, superconductor bandgap engineering with lateral and vertical trapping has been used to shorten quasi-particle tunneling times and diffusion lengths and to prevent quasi-particle diffusion away from the tunnel junction. Methods that have been developed for overcoming materials imcompatibility and device degradation upon thermal cycling are reported. The authors also report on the use of a nonrectangular tunnel junction geometry which reduces the magnetic field needed to suppress the Josephson current for stable biasing. Work in progress to measure the energy resolution of these X-ray detectors at 0.35 K is also discussed.

Gaidis, M. C.↗
NASA NTRS1971

Proximity effect between superconducting and normal metals

Electrical characteristics of thin films of tin vapor deposited on gold substrates are described. Favorable characteristics of these films include: (1) shiny and smooth finishes; (2) higher Josephson critical currents; (3) smaller electronic mean paths; and (4) consistent current-voltage curve shapes. One unfavorable characteristic is a much steeper increase of the Josephson critical current with decreasing temperature. The functional variation of the Josephson current with the control current is described. Two functional forms have been observed and a brief description as to possible mechanisms for this behavior have been included.

Meissner, H.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Proximity effect between superconductivity and normal metals

The SNS junctions were limited to having gold (n) layers of less than 3000 A in order to avoid having the tin (S) films become normal under the influence of the signal current in the gold. The gold layer was alloyed with 10 wt% copper to shorten its electronic mean free path, increasing the tin layer critical current while decreasing the Josephson critical current. It was also found that a previously reported anomalous voltage shift in the presence of I2 is caused by the tin being driven normal. After deposition, the samples were transferred to a conventional cryostat to provide better thermal contact to the films. This reduction of heating in the films produced more linear I-V characteristics and a change in the constant voltage current gain. In order to achieve power gain the SNS device must be operated at lower temperatures were the effects of fluctuations are less and be constructed such that the input resistance is much reduced and the dynamic output resistance increased. A geometry is proposed using a more sophisticated evaporator.

Meissner, H.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Josephson junction interference grating.

The maximum current through multiple Josephson structures as a function of applied magnetic field is presented. Particular emphasis is placed on the Josephson penetration depth effects and geometrical considerations. The symmetrical and asymmetrical current feed two-, three-, four-, and five-junction gratings are analyzed and discussed. The Josephson penetration depth is shown to control the amplitude of the interference and diffraction patterns of the interference grating. In addition the interior-junction-length/interference-loop-area product is shown to control the operating mode of the interference grating. The dependence of the magnetic field sensitivity and interference pattern amplitude on the number of junctions is discussed.

Stuehm, D. L.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Current-Phase Relations of Superconducting PtSi Constriction Josephson Junctions

Here, we study the current-phase relations of superconductor–constriction–superconductor Josephson junctions made from platinum silicide thin films by fabricating dc-superconducting quantum interference devices incorporating pairs of junctions and measuring their magnetic-field-dependent electrical transport. By comparing the supercurrent interference patterns with numerical Ginzburg–Landau simulations, we extract the current-phase relations of individual junctions and quantify the degree of nonlinearity. These measurements show that while the constrictions themselves sustain substantial nonlinearity, the effect is moderated by the kinetic inductance of the device leads, which is an important consideration for practical superconducting circuit applications.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Fermi Velocity Dependent Critical Current in Ballistic Bilayer Graphene Josephson Junctions

We perform transport measurements on proximitized, ballistic, bilayer graphene Josephson junctions (BGJJs) in the intermediate-to-long junction regime (L > ξ). We measure the device’s differential resistance as a function of bias current and gate voltage for a range of different temperatures. The extracted critical current IC follows an exponential trend with temperature: exp(−k B T/δE). Here δE = ħν F /2πL: an expected trend for intermediate-to-long junctions. From δE, we determine the Fermi velocity of the bilayer graphene, which is found to increase with gate voltage. Simultaneously, we show the carrier density dependence of δE, which is attributed to the quadratic dispersion of bilayer graphene. This is in contrast to single layer graphene Josephson junctions, where δE and the Fermi velocity are independent of the carrier density. The carrier density dependence in BGJJs allows for additional tuning parameters in graphene-based Josephson junction devices.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
NASA NTRS1985

New quantum oscillations in current driven small junctions

The response of current-biased Josephson and normal tunnel junctions (JJs and NTJs) such as those fabricated by Voss and Webb (1981) is predicted from a quantum-mechanical description based on the observation that the response of a current-driven open system is equivalent to that of a closed system subject to an external time-dependent voltage bias. Phenomena expected include voltage oscillations with no dc voltage applied, inverse Shapiro steps of dc voltage in the presence of microwave radiation, voltage oscillation in a JJ and an NTJ coupled by a capacitance to a current-biased junction, JJ voltage oscillation frequency = I/e rather than I/2e, and different NTJ resistance than in the voltage-driven case. The effects require approximate experimental parameter values Ic = 15 nA, C = 1 fF, and T much less than 0.4 K for JJs and Ic = a few nA, C = 1 fF, and R = 3 kiloohms for 100-microV inverse Shapiro steps at 10 GHz in NTJs.

Ben-Jacob, E.↗