Abstract
Recent experiments on short MoGe nanowires show a sharp superconductor–insulator transition tuned by the normal state resistance of the wire, with a critical resistance of Rc ≈ RQ = h/(4e2). These results are at odds with a broad range of theoretical work on Josephson-like systems that predicts a smooth transition, tuned by the value of the resistance that shunts the junction. We develop a self-consistent renormalization group treatment of interacting phase-slips and their dual counterparts, correlated cooper pair tunneling, beyond the dilute approximation. This analysis leads to a very sharp transition with a critical resistance of RQ. The addition of the quasi-particles’ resistance at finite temperature leads to a quantitative agreement with the experimental results. This self-consistent renormalization group method should also be applicable to other physical systems that can be mapped onto similar sine-Gordon models, in the previously inaccessible intermediate-coupling regime.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 341-349 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Physica C Superconductivity |
Early online date | 6 Nov 2007 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Feb 2008 |
Keywords
- fluctuations
- phase slips
- superconducting wires