Radiofrequency generation by coherently moving fluxons

A lattice of Abrikosov vortices in type II superconductors is characterized by a periodic modulation of the magnetic induction perpendicular to the applied magnetic field. For a coherent vortex motion under the action of a transport current, the magnetic induction at a given point of the sample vari...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied physics letters 2018-04, Vol.112 (15)
Main Authors: Dobrovolskiy, O. V., Sachser, R., Huth, M., Shklovskij, V. A., Vovk, R. V., Bevz, V. M., Tsindlekht, M. I.
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:A lattice of Abrikosov vortices in type II superconductors is characterized by a periodic modulation of the magnetic induction perpendicular to the applied magnetic field. For a coherent vortex motion under the action of a transport current, the magnetic induction at a given point of the sample varies in time with a washboard frequency fWB = v/d, where v is the vortex velocity and d is the distance between the vortices in the direction of motion. Here, by using a spectrum analyzer connected to a 50 nm-wide Au nanowire meander near the surface of a superconducting Nb film, we detect an ac voltage induced by coherently moving fluxons. The voltage is peaked at the washboard frequency, fWB, and its subharmonics, fTOF = fWB/5, determined by the antenna width. By sweeping the dc current value, we reveal that fWB can be tuned from 100 MHz to 1.5 GHz, thereby demonstrating that patterned normal metal/superconductor nanostructures can be used as dc-tunable generators operating in the radiofrequency range.
ISSN:0003-6951
1077-3118
DOI:10.1063/1.5028213