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arXiv:1407.5561 · Physical Review Letters

Andreev Bound-State Dynamics in Quantum-Dot Josephson Junctions: A Washing Out of the 0−π Transition

Rémi Avriller, F. Pistolesi

Published Jan 22, 2015• 18 citations
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Abstract

We consider a Josephson junction formed by a quantum dot connected to two bulk superconductors in the presence of Coulomb interaction and coupling to both an electromagnetic environment and a finite density of electronic quasiparticles. In the limit of a large superconducting gap we obtain a Born-Markov description of the relevant Andreev bound-states dynamics. We calculate the current-phase relation and we find that the experimentally unavoidable presence of quasiparticles can dramatically modify the 0-π standard transition picture. We show that photon-assisted quasiparticle absorption allows the dynamic switching from the 0 to the π state and vice versa, washing out the 0-π transition predicted by purely thermodynamic arguments. Spectroscopic signatures of Andreev bound-states broadening are investigated by considering microwave irradiation.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.114.037003

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•Jan 1, 2010•0 citations
We consider a Josephson junction formed by a quantum dot connected to two bulk superconductors in the presence of Coulomb interaction and coupling to both an electromagnetic environment and a finite density of electronic quasiparticles. In the limit of a large superconducting gap we obtain a Born-Markov description of the relevant Andreev bound-states dynamics. We calculate the current-phase relation and we find that the experimentally unavoidable presence of quasiparticles can dramatically modify the 0-π standard transition picture. We show that photon-assisted quasiparticle absorption allows the dynamic switching from the 0 to the π state and vice versa, washing out the 0-π transition predicted by purely thermodynamic arguments. Spectroscopic signatures of Andreev bound-states broadening are investigated by considering microwave irradiation.
The quantum mechanics of the Josephson effect is the core ingredient for quantum technologies with superconducting circuits. A new avenue was recently opened in this field by predicting that the Josephson quantum mechanics in the odd parity sector, when a quasiparticle in trapped in an Andreev bound state, is fundamentally different from the conventional one in the even sector. The focus was then on a Josephson junction surrounded by an electromagnetic environment formed of a collection of bosonic modes, including the case of an ohmic environment. Here we consider the distinct case of a superconducting qubit made of a single Josephson junction whose environment reduces to a capacitance. We find a novel structure for the low-lying discrete states in the odd sector, which is altogether different from the one that appears in the even sector. Our study of the bound-state spectrum ranges from the Coulomb-dominated (Cooper pair box) to the Josephson-dominated (transmon) regime. Our prediction could be tested in forthcoming experiments with superconductor/semiconductor/superconductor junctions, which have been studied intensively in recent years, both using nanowires as well as two-dimensional electron gases.
Abstract The quantum mechanics of the Josephson effect is the core ingredient for quantum technologies with superconducting circuits. A new avenue was recently opened in this field by predicting that the Josephson quantum mechanics in the odd parity sector, when a quasiparticle is trapped in an Andreev bound state, is fundamentally different from the conventional one in the even sector. The focus was then on a Josephson junction surrounded by an electromagnetic environment formed of a collection of bosonic modes, including the case of an ohmic environment. Here we consider the distinct case of a superconducting qubit made of a single Josephson junction whose environment reduces to a capacitance. We find a novel structure for the low-lying discrete states in the odd sector, which is altogether different from the one that appears in the even sector. Our study of the bound-state spectrum ranges from the Coulomb-dominated (Cooper pair box) to the Josephson-dominated (transmon) regime. Our prediction could be tested in forthcoming experiments with superconductor/semiconductor/superconductor junctions, which have been studied intensively in recent years, both using nanowires as well as two-dimensional electron gases.
In this Letter, we manipulate the phase shift of a Josephson junction using a parallel double quantum dot (QD). By employing a superconducting quantum interference device, we determine how orbital hybridization and detuning affect the current-phase relation in the Coulomb blockade regime. For weak hybridization between the QDs, we find π junction characteristics if at least one QD has an unpaired electron. Notably the critical current is higher when both QDs have an odd electron occupation. By increasing the inter-QD hybridization the critical current is reduced, until eventually a π-0 transition occurs. A similar transition appears when detuning the QD levels at finite hybridization. Based on a zero-bandwidth model, we argue that both cases of phase-shift transitions can be understood considering an increased weight of states with a double occupancy in the ground state and with the Cooper pair transport dominated by local Andreev reflection.
We present a theory describing the trapping of a quasiparticle in a prototypical Josephson junction, a single-channel superconducting weak link. We calculate the trapping and untrapping rates associated to absorption and emission of both photons and phonons. We show that the presence of an electromagnetic mode with frequency smaller than the gap gives rise to a rather abrupt transition between a fast-relaxation regime dominated by coupling to photons and a slow-relaxation regime dominated by coupling to phonons. This conclusion is illustrated by the analysis of a recent experiment [Zgirski, Bretheau, Le Masne, Pothier, Esteve, and Urbina, Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 257003 (2011)] measuring the dynamics of quasiparticle trapping in a superconducting atomic contact coupled to a Josephson junction. With realistic parameters, the theory provides a semiquantitative description of the experimental results.
We present an extensive theoretical analysis of the supercurrent of a superconducting point contact of arbitrary transparency in the presence of a microwave field. Our paper is mainly based on two different approaches: a two-level model that describes the dynamics of the Andreev bound states in these systems and a fully microscopic method based on the Keldysh--Green function technique. This combination provides both a deep insight into the physics of irradiated Josephson junctions and quantitative predictions for arbitrary range of parameters. The main predictions of our analysis are: (i) for weak fields and low temperatures, the microwaves can induce transitions between the Andreev states, leading to a large suppression of the supercurrent at certain values of the phase; (ii) at strong fields, the current-phase relation is strongly distorted and the corresponding critical current does not follow a simple Bessel-function-like behavior; and (iii) at finite temperatures, the microwave field can enhance the critical current by means of transitions connecting the continuum of states outside the gap region and the Andreev states inside the gap. Our paper is of relevance for a large variety of superconducting weak links as well as for the proposals of using the Andreev bound states of a point contact for quantum computing applications.
Conventional tunnel Josephson junctions form the basic building blocks of superconducting electronics. Their operation is based on comparatively simple dynamics where the superconducting phases across the junctions is the only dynamical degree of freedom. The goal of the project on which this thesis is based, is to understand the physics and develop a consistent theoretical description of the quantum dynamics of unconventional Josephson structures: spin active junctions, junctions containing low energy quasiparticles, and junctions composed of ddd-wave superconductors. Spin active Josephson junctions involve the additional degree of freedom of quasiparticle spin. Here we theoretically investigate the spin-structure of the current carrying interface bound states - Andreev Bound States (ABS), and induced ground state spin polarization of a short (shorter than the superconducting coherence length) nanowire junction containing a localized magnetic moment. We show that temporal variation of the superconducting phase difference and magnetic moment induce rotations in spin polarized and unpolarized subspaces respectively, which is manifested by temporal oscillation of the Josephson current.The interlevel transitions obey a selection rule that forbids manipulations in a certain region ofexternal parameters and results from specific properties of Andreev bound states in magnetic contacts where, in a certain regime of phase bias and strength of magnetic scatterer, ABS belong to different eigenstates of the combined charge and parity inversion symmetry operator.A general framework is developed to include low energy quasiparticle states into the dynamics of Josephson junctions. Such states exist in e.g. constriction type junctions with high transparency channels or resonant states, as well as in junctions of unconventional superconductors. The existence of such states prevent the separation of energy scales which in conventional tunnel junctions freezes out the quasiparticle degrees of freedom. We show that the resonant interaction with such low energy states rather than the Josephson potential defines the nonlinear Josephson dynamics at small amplitudes.The framework is applied to high temperature Josephson junctions, whose unconventional order parameter admits ABS with energies in the middle of the superconducting gap - Mid Gap States (MGS). In addition to the non-linear dynamics induced by the MGS, we identify a reentrance effect in the transition between thermal activation and macroscopic quantum tunneling associated with the MGS, and connect this phenomenon to experimental observations.