The dynamics of superconductivity phase in thick stack of Josephson junctions with strong inductive coupling, such as the one realized in layered high-$T_c$ cuprates and possibly the recently discovered FeAs-based superconductors, is investigated under a c-axis bias voltage and in the absence of an external magnetic field. The kink state found previously by the present authors is extended to three dimensions for both rectangular and cylindrical geometries. The IV characteristics are calculated and the distributions of electromagnetic field inside the samples are clarified. The solution for a cylindrical mesa exhibits a higher resonating frequency than that of a square mesa with the same linear size by a factor of $\sim 2.4$. More importantly, from the radius dependence of the resonance frequency for the cylinder geometry it is possible to confirm directly the kink state, and thus to reveal the mechanism of the strong radiation discovered in recent experiments.
We report on the successful terahertz emission (0.6$\sim$1 THz) that is continuous and tunable in its frequency and power, by driving Josephson vortices in resonance with the collective standing Josephson plasma modes excited in stacked Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CaCu$_2$O$_{8+x}$ intrinsic Josephson junctions. Shapiro-step detection was employed to confirm the terahertz-wave emission. Our results provide a strong feasibility of developing long-sought solid-state terahertz-wave emission devices.
We investigate the response of a stack of intrinsic Josephson junctions (IJJs) to terahertz (THz) electromagnetic (EM) irradiation. A significant amplification of the EM wave can be achieved by the IJJs stack when the incident frequency equals to one of the cavity frequencies. The irradiation excites pi phase kinks in the junctions, which stimulate the cavity resonance when the bias voltage is tuned. A large amount of dc energy is then pumped into the Josephson plasma oscillation, and the incident wave gets amplified. From the profound current step in IV characteristics induced at the cavity r…
The nano-scale intrinsic Josephson junctions in highly anisotropic cuprate superconductors have potential for generation of terahertz electromagnetic waves. When the thickness of a superconductor sample is much smaller than the wavelength of electromagnetic waves in vacuum, the superconductor renders itself as a cavity. Unlike conventional lasers, the presence of the cavity does not guarantee a coherent emission because of the internal degree of freedom of the superconductivity phase in long junctions. We study the excitation of terahertz wave by solitons in a stack of intrinsic Josephson junc…
We show that a moving Josephson vortex in spatially modulated layered superconductors generates out-of-plane THz radiation. Remarkably, the magnetic and in-plane electric fields radiated are of the same order, which is very unusual for any good-conducting medium. Therefore, the out-of-plane radiation can be emitted to the vacuum without the standard impedance mismatch problem. Thus, the proposed design can be more efficient for tunable THz emitters than previous proposals, for radiation only propagating along the ab-plane.
We propose how to control the THz radiation generated by fast moving Josephson vortices in spatially modulated (either along the c-axis or the ab-plane) samples of Bi-2212 and related superconducting compounds. We show that the JVs moving in a subset of weaker junctions can generate out-of-ab-plane and outside-the-cone Cherenkov radiation. The ab-plane modulation of superconducting properties (achieved, for instance, by ion irradiation lithography) can result in transition radiation within certain frequency windows, i.e., allowing the design of tunable THz emitters and THz photonic crystals.
The recent growing interest in terahertz (THz) and sub-THz science and technology is due to its many important applications in physics, astronomy, chemistry, biology, and medicine. We review the problem of linear and non-linear THz and sub-THz Josephson plasma waves in layered superconductors and their excitations produced by moving Josephson vortices. We start by discussing the coupled sine-Gordon equations for the gauge-invariant phase difference of the order parameter in the junctions, taking into account the effect of breaking the charge neutrality, and deriving the spectrum of Josephson p…
Strong terahertz radiation from mesa structure of $\rm{Bi_2Sr_2CaCu_2O_{8+δ}}$ single crystal has been observed recently, where the mesa intrinsically forms a cavity. For a thick mesa of large number of junctions, there are many cavity modes with different wave vectors along the c-axis corresponding to almost degenerate bias voltages. The mechanism responsible for exciting the uniform mode which radiates coherent terahertz waves in experiments is unknown. In this work, we show that the in-plane dissipation selects the uniform mode. For perturbations with non-zero wave numbers along the c-axis,…
We present a mechanism for emission of electromagnetic terahertz waves by simulation. High $T_{c}$ superconductors form naturally stacked Josephson junctions. When an external current and a magnetic field are applied to the sample, fluxon flow induces voltage. The voltage creates oscillating current through the Josephson effect and the current excites the Josephson plasma. The sample works as a cavity, and the input energy is stored in a form of standing wave of the Josephson plasma. A part of the energy is emitted as terahertz waves.
We reply to the comment [arXiv:0903.5110] on our paper "Mechanism of Terahertz Electromagnetic Emission from Intrinsic Josephson Junctions" [arXiv:0810.5268].
The Josephson effects associated with quantum tunneling of Cooper pairs manifest as nonlinear relations between the superconductivity phase difference and the bias current and voltage. Many novel phenomena appear, such as Shapiro steps in dc cuurent-voltage (IV) characteristics of a Josephson junction under microwave shining, which can be used as a voltage standard. Inversely, the Josephson effects provide a unique way to generate high-frequency electromagnetic (EM) radiation by dc bias voltage. The discovery of cuprate high-Tc superconductors accelerated the effort to develop novel source of …
A new family of dynamic states are found in a stack of inductively coupled intrinsic Josephson junctions in the absence of an external magnetic field. In this state, $(2m_l+1)π$ phase kinks with integers $m_l$'s stack along the c axis and lock neighboring junction together. Large dc power is pumped into plasma oscillation via kinks at the cavity resonance. The plasma oscillation is uniform along the c axis with the frequency satisfying the ac Josephson relation. Thus this state supports strong terahertz radiation and seems to be compatible with the recent experimental observations.
A new dynamic state characterized by $(2m_l+1)π$ static phase kink with integers $\{m_l\}$ is proposed recently in a stack of inductively coupled Josephson junctions. In the present paper, the stability of the phase kink state is investigated against many perturbations and it is shown that the kink state is stable. It is also discussed that the suppression of the amplitude of superconducting order parameter caused by the kink is weak.
In this letter, we present the study of the high-frequency mixing properties of ion irradiated YBa2Cu3O7 Josephson nano-junctions. The frequency range, spanning above and below the characteristic frequencies fc of the junctions, permits clear observation of the transition between two mixing regimes. The experimental conversion gain was found to be in good agreement with the prediction of the three ports model. Finally, we discuss the potential of the junctions to build a Josephson mixer operating in the terahertz frequency range.
A practical method for realizing intense terahertz (THz) emission from intrinsic Josephson junctions (IJJs) by utilizing external local-heating is proposed and demonstrated theoretically. An artificial temperature distribution induced by local heating strongly excites Josephson plasma waves inside IJJs. Accordingly, the emission power of the THz wave is enhanced drastically, and it can reach the order of mW. Our result indicates that the use of local heat control is a powerful method to realize practical solid-state THz-emitters based on IJJs.
We present a theoretical study of the quantum dynamics of \textit{two} magnetic fluxons (MFs) trapped in Josephson junction parallel arrays (JJPAs) with large kinetic inductances. The Josephson phase distribution of two trapped MFs satisfies a topological constraint, i.e., a total variation of Josephson phases along a JJPA is $4π$. In such JJPAs the characteristic length of Josephson phase distribution ("the size" of MF) is drastically reduced to be less than a single cell size. Two extreme dynamic patterns will be distinguished: two weakly interacting MFs and two merged MFs, i.e., a $4π$-kink…
We have measured the depinning of trapped kinks in a ratchet potential using a fabricated circular array of Josephson junctions. Our ratchet system consists of a parallel array of junctions with alternating cell inductances and junctions areas. We have compared this ratchet array with other circular arrays. We find experimentally and numerically that the depinning current depends on the direction of the applied current in our ratchet ring. We also find other properties of the depinning current versus applied field, such as a long period and a lack of reflection symmetry, which we can explain a…
The dynamics of a one-dimensional, highly discrete, linear array of alternating $0-$ and $π-$ Josephson junctions is studied numerically, under constant bias current at zero magnetic field. The calculated current - voltage characteristics exhibit half-integer and integer zero-field-like steps for even and odd total number of junctions, respectively. Inspection of the instantaneous phases reveals that, in the former case, single $π-$kink excitations (discrete semi-fluxons) are supported, whose propagation in the array gives rise to the $1/2-$step, while in the latter case, a pair of $π-$kink --…
We analyze nonperturbatively the behavior of a Josephson junction in which two BCS superconductors are coupled through an Anderson impurity. We recover earlier perturbative results which found that a $δ=π$ phase difference is preferred when the impurity is singly occupied and the on-site Coulomb interaction is large. We find a novel intermediate phase in which one of $δ=0$ and $δ=π$ is stable while the other is metastable, with the energy $E(δ)$ having a kink somewhere in between. As a consequence of the kink, the $I-V$ characteristics of the junction are modified at low voltages.
In this study, we investigated the terahertz radiation from a truncated edge square mesa structure made from a superconducting Bi_{2}Sr_{2}CaCu_{2}O_{8+δ} . Using a commercial software, the polarization characteristics were determined, and introduced, while accounting for the skin effect. The axial ratio was enhanced in the simulation by performing a parametric study on the design.
As possible states to characterize THz wave emission from intrinsic Josephson junctions without external fields, the McCumber-like state and $π$-phase-kink state have been proposed. In the present article it is numerically shown that both states are stationary according to the bias current $J$ and surface impedance $Z$. The McCumber-like state is stable for low $J$ and small $Z$. For higher $J$, the $π$-phase-kink state accompanied with symmetry breaking along the c axis is stable even for Z=1, though strong emission in the vicinity of cavity resonance points only takes place for larger $Z$. D…
Using a 3-D parallelepiped model of intrinsic Josephson junctions, we calculate the cavity resonance modes of Josephson plasma waves excited by external electric currents. The electromagnetic (EM) wave of the excited Josephson plasma is converted to a THz EM wave at the sample surfaces. The cavity modes accompanied by static phase kinks of the superconducting order parameter have been intensively investigated. The phase kinks induce a spatial modulation of the amplitude of the order parameter around the kinks and decrease the superconducting condensation energy. The Josephson plasma produces a…
We report on an experimental and theoretical study of the high-frequency mixing properties of ion-irradiated YBa2Cu3O7 Josephson junctions embedded in THz antennas. We investigated the influence of the local oscillator power and frequency on the device performances. The experimental data are compared with theoretical predictions of the general three-port model for mixers, in which the junction is described by the resistively shunted junction model. A good agreement is obtained for the conversion efficiency in different frequency ranges, spanning above and below the characteristic frequencies f…
By patterning mesoscopic crystals of Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 (BSCCO) into electromagnetic resonators the oscillations of a large number of intrinsic Josephson junctions can be synchronized into a macroscopic coherent state accompanied by the emission of strong continuous wave THz-radiation. The temperature dependence of the emission is governed by the interplay of self-heating in the resonator and by re-trapping of intrinsic Josephson junctions which can yield a strongly nonmonotonic temperature dependence of the emission power. Furthermore, proper shaping of the resonators yields THzsources with voltag…
Terahertz radiation of the stack of intrinsic Josephson junctions in the mesa structure of the layered high-Tc superconductors is analyzed and presented in this work. The dependency of the radiated power to the geometrical parameters, cavity-waveguide boundaries, and magnetic and electric bias has been investigated. This has been done by numerical calculation of the previously proposed coupled sine-Gordon equations, which characterize the electromagnetic dynamics of the stack of the intrinsic Josephson junctions. Using the obtained numerical results from these coupled equations, the effect of …
The paper reports on experimental observation of sub-terahertz sound wave generation and detection by a long Josephson junction. This effect was discovered at spectral measurements of sub-terahertz electromagnetic emission from a flux-flow oscillator (FFO) deposited on optically polished Si substrate. The back action of the acoustic waves generated by the FFO and reflected by the bottom surface of the Si substrate results in the appearance of resonant steps in the FFO IVCs with spacing as small as 29 nV for 0.3 mm substrate thickness; these steps manifest themselves in a pronounced resonant st…
In order to enhance the radiation power in terahertz band based on the intrinsic Josephson junctions of Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CaCu$_2$O$_{8+δ}$ single crystal, we investigate a long cylindrical sample embedded in a dielectric material. Tuning the dielectric constant, the radiation power has a maximum which is achieved when it equals the dissipation caused by Josephson plasma. This yields the optimal dielectric constant of wrapping material in terms of the properties of BSCCO single crystal. The maximal radiation power is found proportional to the product of the typical superconducting current squared an…
Starting with zero initial conditions we simulate the current-voltage characteristics (CVCs) of Intrinsic Josephson Junctions (IJJ) for parameters close to that of the BSCCO mesas. The simulation shows a regular pattern with voltage jumps at voltages satisfying the cavity resonance conditions. The calculated emission has peaks at every voltage jump. Analyzing the phases we observe a two-dimensional standing wave pattern with a kink configuration as their static part. Depending on the kink configuration and the bias current, the kink amplitudes may differ from $π$ . By means of Fast Fourier Tra…
In a recent Letter, Tachiki \emph{et al.} argued that the dynamic state of superconductivity phase in multi junctions characterized by $\pmπ$ kinks is hard to realize from an energetic point of view. Instead, they proposed a so-called "state without kink". In this Comment, we point out that their energetic consideration is inconsistent with the well established treatment for Josephson junctions, and that the results derived for their "state without kink" cannot explain the radiations observed in the recent experiment.
We examine coupling interactions used to synchronize macroscopic Josephson oscillations induced in intrinsic Josephson junction (IJJ) mesa stacks made of a Bi2212 single crystal. Synchronized radiations of terahertz electromagnetic (EM) waves are detected under common voltage and current bias operations of two connected mesas with close individual radiation frequencies, while uncoupled and bimodal radiations are frequently observed in two mesas with different individual radiation frequencies. Detailed observations of the polarizations of the EM waves emitted when two mesas are biased in parall…
We consider a spatially non-autonomous discrete sine-Gordon equation with constant forcing and its continuum limit(s) to model a 0-$π$ Josephson junction with an applied bias current. The continuum limits correspond to the strong coupling limit of the discrete system. The non-autonomous character is due to the presence of a discontinuity point, namely a jump of $π$ in the sine-Gordon phase. The continuum models admits static solitary waves which are called $π$-kinks and are attached to the discontinuity point. For small forcing, there are three types of $π$-kinks. We show that one of the kinks…
Mutually synchronized macroscopic Josephson oscillations demonstrated by polarization analysis of superconducting terahertz emitters
University of Tsukuba（筑波大学）；Kyoto University（京都大学）；ENS, Université PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Université de Paris（巴黎高等师范学院，PSL大学，法国国家科学研究中心，索邦大学，巴黎大学）
Solving coupled nonlinear sine-Gordon equations and Maxwell equations numerically, we study the electromagnetic and superconducting properties of the single crystal of high-$T_c$ superconductor $\rm{Bi_2Sr_2CaCu_2O_{8+δ}}$ with a static magnetic field applied parallel to the $ab$-plane and a dc current fed in along the c-axis. Cavity resonances of transverse plasma occur in the intrinsic Josephson junctions with frequencies in terahertz regime. It is revealed that the electromagnetic wave can transmit from the junctions into space. The emitted energy counted by the Poynting vector is about $40…
We present a theoretical description of the phase dynamics and its corresponding electrodynamics in a stack of inductively coupled intrinsic Josephson junctions of layered high-$T_c$ superconductors in the absence of an external magnetic field. Depending on the spatial structure of the gauge invariant phase difference, the dynamic state is classified into: state with kink, state without kink, and state with solitons. It is revealed that in the state with phase kink, the plasma is coupled to the cavity and the plasma oscillation is enhanced. In contrast, in the state without kink, the plasma os…
We investigate the interface coupling between the 2D sine-Gordon equation and the 2D wave equation in the context of a Josephson window junction using a finite volume numerical method and soliton perturbation theory. The geometry of the domain as well as the electrical coupling parameters are considered. When the linear region is located at each end of the nonlinear domain, we derive an effective 1D model, and using soliton perturbation theory, compute the fixed points that can trap either a kink or antikink at an interface between two sine-Gordon media. This approximate analysis is validated …
Recently it has been found that, when operated at large input power, the linewidth of terahertz radiation emitted from intrinsic Josephson junction stacks can be as narrow as some megahertz. In this high-bias regime a hot spot coexists with regions which are still superconducting. Surprisingly, the linewidth was found to decrease with increasing bath temperature. We present a simple model describing the dynamics of the stack in the presence of a hot spot by two parallel arrays of pointlike Josephson junctions and an additional shunt resistor in parallel. Heat diffusion is taken into account by…
We have theoretically demonstrated the emission of circularly-polarized terahertz (THz) waves from intrinsic Josephson junctions (IJJs) which is locally heated by an external heat source such as the laser irradiation. We focus on a mesa-structured IJJ whose geometry is slightly deviate from a square and find that the local heating make it possible to emit circularly-polarized THz waves. In this mesa, the inhomogeneity of critical current density induced by the local heating excites the electromagnetic cavity modes TM (1,0) and TM (0,1), whose polarizations are orthogonal to each other. The mix…
We have measured coherent terahertz emission spectra from Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ mesa devices, as a function of temperature and mesa bias voltage. The emission frequency is found to be tunable by up to 12% by varying the temperature and bias voltage. We attribute the appearance of tunability to asymmetric boundaries at the top and bottom, and the non-rectangular cross-section of the mesas. This interpretation is consistent with numerical simulations of the dynamics of intrinsic Josephson junctions in the mesa. Easily tunable emission frequency may have important implications for the design of teraher…
We have unambiguously observed the c-axis Josephson Plasma Resonance (JPR) in high-T$_{c}$ cuprate Tl$_{2}$Ba$_{2}$CaCu$_{2}$O$_{8}$ superconducting thin films employing terahertz time-domain spectroscopy in transmission as a function of temperature in zero magnetic field. These are the first measurements of the JPR temperature dependence of a high-$T_{c}$ material in transmission. With increasing temperature, the JPR shifts from 705 GHz at 10 K to $\sim$170 GHz at 98 K corresponding to a c-axis penetration depth increasing from 20.1$\pm$0.6 $μ$m to 84$\pm$9 $μ$m. The linewidth of the JPR peak…
We demonstrate that parametric driving of suitable collective modes in cuprate superconductors results in a reflectivity $R>1$ for frequencies in the low terahertz regime. We propose to exploit this effect for the amplification of coherent terahertz radiation in a laser-like fashion. As an example, we consider the optical driving of Josephson plasma oscillations in a monolayer cuprate at a frequency that is blue-detuned from the Higgs frequency. Analogously, terahertz radiation can be amplified in a bilayer cuprate by driving a phonon resonance at a frequency slightly higher than the upper Jos…
We investigate macroscopic behaviors of fluctuating domain walls in nonequilibrium open systems with the help of the effective field theory based on symmetry. Since the domain wall in open systems breaks the translational symmetry, there appears a gapless excitation identified as the Nambu-Goldstone (NG) mode, which shows the non-propagating diffusive behavior in contrast to those in closed systems. After demonstrating the presence of the diffusive NG mode in the $(2+1)$-dimensional dissipative Josephson junction, we provide a symmetry-based general analysis for open systems breaking the one-d…
We theoretically show that terahertz pulses with controlled amplitude and frequency can be used to switch between stable transport modes in layered superconductors, modelled as stacks of Josephson junctions. We find pulse shapes that deterministically switch the transport mode between superconducting, resistive and solitonic states. We develop a simple model that explains the switching mechanism as a destablization of the centre of mass excitation of the Josephson phase, made possible by the highly non-linear nature of the light-matter coupling.
Terahertz radiation from the mesa structures of Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CaCu$_2$O$_{8+δ}$ is detected in samples with thin electrodes $< 100$ nm. In samples with thick electrodes $\simeq$ 400 nm, neither radiations nor voltage jumps in current-voltage characteristics are detected. This suggests that the thin electrode helps excite the Josephson plasma oscillation as a result of the poor heat flow through the electrode. The shielding effect by the electrode is not essential. We consider that the local temperature rise is the origin of the synchronization of the phase kink for terahertz radiation.
Time-resolved synchronization analysis of stacked intrinsic Josephson junctions of a cuprate superconductor with frequency-modulated terahertz radiation spectra
Kyoto University（京都大学）；National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)（产业技术综合研究所）
Interlayer transport in high-$T_C$ cuprates is mediated by superconducting tunneling across the CuO$_2$ planes. For this reason, the terahertz frequency optical response is dominated by one or more Josephson plasma resonances and becomes highly nonlinear at fields for which the tunneling supercurrents approach their critical value, $I_C$. These large terahertz nonlinearities are in fact a hallmark of superconducting transport. Surprisingly, however, they have been documented in La$_{2-x}$Ba$_x$CuO$_4$ also above $T_C$ for doping values near $x=1/8$, and interpreted as an indication of superflu…
Broadly Tunable Sub-terahertz Emission from Internal Branches of the Current-voltage Characteristics of Superconducting Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+d Single Crystals
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science（日本学术振兴会）；Quantum Beam Science Directorate, Japan Atomic Energy Agency（日本原子力机构量子束科学部）；Graduate School of Pure & Applied Sciences, University of Tsukuba（筑波大学纯科学与应用科学学院）
In THz wave emission from intrinsic Josephson junctions in in-plane magnetic fields, emission intensity strongly depends on the surface impedance $Z$ similarly to the case without external magnetic fields. Cavity resonance modes are stabilized for $Z \ge 3$, and the fundamental mode gives the strongest emission. As the in-plane magnetic field increases for a fixed number of junctions, dynamical phase transitions seem to occur between the $π$-phase-kink state, various incommensurate phase-kink states, and in-phase state. As $Z$ varies, a crossover of the field profile of maximum intensity takes…
Terahertz imaging system with on-chip superconducting Josephson plasma emitters for nondestructive testing
National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)（产业技术综合研究所）；James Watt School of Engineering, University of Glasgow（格拉斯哥大学詹姆斯·瓦特工程学院）；Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences, University of Tsukuba（筑波大学理工学群）
