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Coulomb interaction and first-order superconductor-insulator transition.
S V Syzranov1, I L Aleiner, B L Altshuler
1Theoretische Physik III, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
Physical Review Letters
|January 15, 2011
Summary
The superconductor-insulator transition in Josephson junctions is a first-order phase transition at zero temperature. At finite temperatures, a tricritical point emerges, influencing transition order.
Area of Science:
- Condensed matter physics
- Quantum phenomena
Background:
- Superconductor-insulator transitions (SIT) are critical phenomena in low-dimensional systems.
- Josephson junction arrays provide a tunable platform for studying quantum phase transitions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the order of the superconductor-insulator transition in Josephson junction arrays.
- To analyze the influence of temperature and dimensionality on the SIT.
Main Methods:
- Derivation of an imaginary time Ginzburg-Landau-type action.
- Renormalization group analysis at zero and finite temperatures.
- Consideration of Coulomb interaction and system dimensionality (d=2 and d=3).
Main Results:
- The SIT is a first-order phase transition at T=0 in d=3.
- A tricritical point exists at finite temperatures, separating first- and second-order transitions.
- The conclusion for d=2 is valid when mutual capacitance exceeds junction distance.
Conclusions:
- The nature of the superconductor-insulator transition is fundamentally first-order at zero temperature.
- Temperature and dimensionality play crucial roles in determining the transition's characteristics.
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