We study adiabatic pumping at a normal metal/class-D superconductor hybrid interface when superconductivity is induced through the proximity effect in a spin-orbit coupled nanowire in the presence of a tilted Zeeman field. When the induced order parameter in the nanowire is non-uniform, the phase diagram has isolated trivial regions surrounded by topological ones. We show that in this case the pumped charge is quantized in units of the elementary charge $e$ and has a topological nature.
We derive a general scattering-matrix formula for the pumped current through a mesoscopic region attached to a normal and a superconducting lead. As applications of this result we calculate the current pumped through (i) a pump in a wire, (ii) a quantum dot in the Coulomb blockade regime, and (iii) a ballistic double-barrier junction, all coupled to a superconducting lead. Andreev reflection is shown to enhance the pumped current by up to a factor of 4 in case of equal coupling to the leads. We find that this enhancement can still be further increased for slightly asymmetric coupling.
We analyze theoretically adiabatic quantum pumping through a normal conductor that couples the normal regions of two superconductor/normal metal/superconductor Josephson junctions. By using the phases of the superconducting order parameter in the superconducting contacts as pumping parameters, we demonstrate that a non zero pumped charge can flow through the device. The device exploits the evolution of the superconducting phases due to the ac Josephson effect, and can therefore be operated at very high frequency, resulting in a pumped current as large as a few nanoAmperes. The experimental rel…
Spin pumping refers to the microwave-driven spin current injection from a ferromagnet into the adjacent target material. We theoretically investigate the spin pumping into superconductors by fully taking account of impurity spin-orbit scattering that is indispensable to describe diffusive spin transport with finite spin diffusion length. We calculate temperature dependence of the spin pumping signal and show that a pronounced coherence peak appears immediately below the superconducting transition temperature Tc, which survives even in the presence of the spin-orbit scattering. The phenomenon p…
We theoretically investigate the phenomena of adiabatic quantum charge pumping through a normal-insulator-superconductor-insulator-normal (NISIN) setup of silicene within the scattering matrix formalism. Assuming thin barrier limit, we consider the strength of the two barriers ($χ_{1}$ and $χ_{2}$) as the two pumping parameters in the adiabatic regime. Within this geometry, we obtain crossed Andreev reflection (CAR) with probability unity in the $χ_{1}$-$χ_{2}$ plane without concomitant transmission or elastic cotunneling (CT). Tunability of the band gap at the Dirac point by applying an exter…
Within the scattering approach, we develop a model for adiabatic quantum pumping in hybrid normal/superconductor systems where several superconducting leads are present. This is exploited to study Andreev-interference effects on adiabatically pumped charge in a 3-arm beam splitter attached to one normal and two superconducting leads with different phases of the order parameters. We derive expressions for the pumped charge through the normal lead for different parameters for the scattering region, and elucidate the effects due to Andreev interference. In contrast to what happens for voltage-dri…
We present the first measurements of the Berry phase in a superconducting Cooper pair pump. A fixed amount of Berry phase is accumulated to the quantum-mechanical ground state in each adiabatic pumping cycle, which is determined by measuring the charge passing through the device. The dynamic and geometric phases are identified and measured quantitatively from their different response when pumping in opposite directions. Our observations, in particular, the dependencies of the dynamic and geometric effects on the superconducting phase bias across the pump, agree with the basic theoretical model…
We present a formalism to study adiabatic pumping through a superconductor - normal - superconductor weak link. At zero temperature, the pumped charge is related to the Berry phase accumulated, in a pumping cycle, by the Andreev bound states. We analyze in detail the case when the normal region is short compared to the superconducting coherence length. The pumped charge turns out to be an even function of the superconducting phase difference. Hence, it can be distinguished from the charge transferred due to the standard Josephson effect.
We demonstrate that a Josephson junction with a half-metallic weak link integrated into the superconducting loop enables the pumping of magnetic flux piercing the loop. In such junctions, the ground state phase $ψ$ is determined by the mutual orientation of magnetic moments in two ferromagnets surrounding the half-metal. Thus, the precession of magnetic moment in one of two ferromagnets controlled, e.g., by the microwave radiation, results in the accumulation of the phase $ψ$ and subsequent switching between the states with different vorticities. The proposed flux pumping mechanism does not re…
We propose a setup to realize time-reversal invariant topological superconductors in quantum wires, proximity coupled to conventional superconductors. We consider a model of quantum wire with strong spin-orbit coupling and proximity coupling to two s-wave superconductors. When the relative phase between the two superconductors is $ϕ=π$ a Kramers' pair of Majorana zero modes appears at each edge of the wire. We study the robustness of the phase in presence of both time-reversal invariant and time-reversal breaking perturbations. In addition, we show that the system forms a natural realization o…
We demonstrate non-adiabatic charge pumping utilizing a sequence of coherent oscillations between a superconducting island and two reservoirs. Our method, based on pulsed quantum state manipulations, allows to speedup charge pumping to a rate which is limited by the coupling between the island and the reservoirs given by the Josephson energy. Our experimental and theoretical studies also demonstrate that relaxation can be employed to reset the pump and avoid accumulation of errors due to non-ideal control pulses.
Dynamical error suppression techniques are commonly used to improve coherence in quantum systems. They reduce dephasing errors by applying control pulses designed to reverse erroneous coherent evolution driven by environmental noise. However, such methods cannot correct for irreversible processes such as energy relaxation. In this work, we investigate a complementary, stochastic approach to reducing errors: instead of deterministically reversing the unwanted qubit evolution, we use control pulses to shape the noise environment dynamically. In the context of superconducting qubits, we implement…
We consider a superconducting qubit coupled to the nonstationary transmission line cavity with modulated frequency taking into account energy dissipation. Previously, it was demonstrated that in the case of a single nonadiabatical modulation of a cavity frequency there are two channels of a two-level system excitation which are due to the absorption of Casimir photons and due to the counterrotating wave processes responsible for the dynamical Lamb effect. We show that the parametric periodical modulation of the resonator frequency can increase dramatically the excitation probability. Remarkabl…
In this paper, we propose a novel kind of Josephson-Energy Suppression Pump (JESP) controlled by a fully magnetic flux drive. The device presented here is composed of two superconducting loops interrupted at one side by superconducting nanowires which are joined together by a superconducting island. The phase difference developed at the edges of the nanowires by means of the magnetic flux threading the loops can collapse their Cooper condensates, leading to complete suppression of the Josephson energies. This mechanism allows to greatly reduce the leakage current when performing Cooper pair pu…
Proximity-induced long-range spin-triplet supercurrents, important for the field of superconducting spintronics, are generated in superconducting/ferromagnetic heterostructures when interfacial magnetic inhomogeneities responsible for spin mixing and spin flip scattering are present. The multilayer stack Nb/Cr/Fe/Cr/Nb has been shown to support such exotic currents when fabricated into Josephson junction devices. However, creating pure spin currents controllably in superconductors outside of the Josephson junction architecture is a bottleneck to progress. Recently, ferromagnetic resonance was …
We have studied niobium superconducting thin wires deposited onto a SrTiO$_{3}$ substrate. By measuring the reflection coefficient of the wires, resonances are observed in the superconducting state in the 130 MHz to 4 GHz range. They are interpreted as standing wave resonances of one-dimensional plasma modes propagating along the superconducting wire. The experimental dispersion law, $ω$ versus $q$, presents a linear dependence over the entire wave vector range. The modes are softened as the temperature increases close the superconducting transition temperature. Very good agreement are observe…
In one dimensional wires, fluctuations destroy superconducting long-range order and stiffness at finite temperatures; in an infinite wire, quasi-long range order and stiffness survive at zero temperature if the wire's dimensionless admittance $μ$ is large, $μ> 2$. We analyze the disappearance of this superconductor-insulator quantum phase transition in a finite wire and its resurrection due to the wire's coupling to its environment characterized through the dimensionless conductance $K$. Integrating over phase slips, we determine the flow of couplings and establish the $μ$--$K$ phase diagram.
Static spin susceptibility of superconductors with spin-orbit relaxation has been calculated in the seminal work of A.A. Abrikosov and L.P. Gor'kov [Sov. Phys. JETP, {\bf 15}, 752 (1962)]. Surprisingly the generalization of this result to finite frequencies has not been done despite being quite important for the modern topic of superconducting spintronics. The present paper fills this gap by deriving the analytical expression for spin susceptibility. The time-dependent spin response is shown to be captured by the quasiclassical Eilenberger equation with collision integrals corresponding to the…
The structure of the Meissner effect in a current-carrying cylindrical wire with arbitrary disorder is studied using a numerical procedure that is exact within the semiclassical approximation. A distribution of currents is found that is non-monotonous as a function of the radial coordinate. For high currents, a robust gapless superconducting state develops at the surface of both clean and dirty leads. Our calculation provides a quantitative theory of the critical current in realistic wires.
We report on the reinforcement of superconductivity in a system consisting of a narrow superconducting wire weakly coupled to a diffusive metallic film. We analyze the effective phase-only action of the system by a perturbative renormalization-group and a self-consistent variational approach to obtain the critical points and phases at T=0. We predict a quantum phase transition towards a superconducting phase with long-range order as a function of the wire stiffness and coupling to the metal. We discuss implications for the DC resistivity of the wire.
We studied the diffusion and the relaxation of the polarized quasiparticle spins in superconductors. To that end, quasiparticles of polarized spins were injected through an interface of a mesoscopic superconducting Al wire in proximity contact with an overlaid ferromagnetic Co wire in the single-domain state. The superconductivity was observed to be suppressed near the spin-injecting interface, as evidenced by the occurrence of a finite voltage for a bias current below the onset of the superconducting transition. The spin diffusion length, estimated from finite voltages over a certain length o…
Josephson junctions and superconducting wires when probed with current pulses exhibit stochastic switching from superconducting to a stable non-zero voltage state. Electrical current dependence of the switching probability (so called S-curve) or switching current distribution is a fingerprint of the physics governing the escape process. This work addresses the criterion of independent switching event in a series of switching experiments. Treating Josephson junction as an electrical coin with current-tuned switching probability we investigate effect of correlation between switching events on th…
We report transport measurements on superconducting wire networks which provide the first experimental evidence of a new localization phenomenon induced by magnetic field on a 2D periodic structure. In the case of a superconducting wave function this phenomenon manifests itself as a depression of the network critical current and of the superconducting transition temperature at a half magnetic flux quantum per tile. In addition, the strong broadening of the resistive transition observed at this field is consistent with enhanced phase fluctuations due to this localization mechanism.
We study the low temperature tunneling density of states of thin wires where superconductivity is destroyed through quantum phase-slip proliferation. Although this regime is believed to behave as an insulator, we show that for a large temperature range this phase is characterized by a conductivity falling off at most linearly with temperature, and has a gapless excitation spectrum. This novel conducting phase results from electron-electron interaction induced pair breaking. Also, it may help clarify the low temperature metallic features found in films and wires whose bulk realization is superc…
Quantum phase slips are traditionally considered in diffusive superconducting wires which are assumed homogeneous. We present a definite estimate for the amplitude of phase slips that occur at a weak inhomogeneity in the wire where local resistivity is slightly increased. We model such a weak link as a general coherent conductor and show that the amplitude is dominated by topological part of the action. We argue that such weak links occur naturally in apparently homogeneous wires and adjust the estimate to that case. The fabrication of an artificial weak link would localize phase slips and fac…
How to distinguish the zero-bias peak (ZBP) caused by the Majorana fermions from that by the other effects remains a challenge in detecting the topological order of a quantum wire. In this paper we propose to distinguish the topological superconducting phase from the topologically trivial phase by making a Josephson junction of the quantum wire attached to a side lead and then measuring the tunneling conductance through it as the phase difference across the junction $ϕ$ varies. Even if the ZBPs exist in both phases, we can identify the topological superconducting phase by a conductance peak at…
Almost constant voltage plateaus on the V(I) curves of long quasi-one-dimensional superconducting aluminum wires placed in magnetic field at temperatures T slightly below the critical superconducting temperature Tc were found which were unexpected for the sample geometry and parameters of the experiment. The plateaus are assumed to be subharmonics of a superconducting gap and arise due to the multiple Andreev reflection and strong quasiparticle overheating in the wire nonequilibrium region. The plateaus are evidence of coexistence of superconductivity and dissipation in such wires. The results…
We study the patterns at which the current flow stabilizes in a 1D superconducting wire, for various experimentally reasonable boundary conditions, for small fixed current densities and temperatures close to $T_c$. We pay special attention to the possible existence of a stationary regime. If the contacts are superconducting, truly stationary or normal regimes do not exist, but can be approached as a limit. In the case of weak superconducting contacts, a rich phase diagram is found, with several periodic regimes that involve two phase slip centers. For some of these regimes, the density of Coop…
Superconducting triangular Nb wire networks with high normal-state resistance are fabricated by using a negative tone hydrogen silsesquioxane (HSQ) resist. Robust magnetoresistance oscillations are observed up to high magnetic fields and maintained at low temperatures, due to the eective reduction of wire dimensions. Well-defined dips appear at integral and rational values (1/2, 1/3, 1/4) of the reduced flux f = Phi/Phi_0, which is the first observation in the triangular wire networks. These results are well consistent with theoretical calculations for the reduced critical temperature as a fun…
Quantum phase slips (QPS) may produce non-equilibrium voltage fluctuations in current-biased superconducting nanowires. Making use of the Keldysh technique and employing the phase-charge duality arguments we investigate such fluctuations within the four-point measurement scheme and demonstrate that shot noise of the voltage detected in such nanowires may essentially depend on the particular measurement setup. In long wires the shot noise power decreases with increasing frequency $Ω$ and vanishes beyond a threshold value of $Ω$ at $T \to 0$
Quantum behavior of superconducting nanowires may essentially depend on the employed experimental setup. Here we investigate a setup that enables passing equilibrium supercurrent across an arbitrary segment of the wire without restricting fluctuations of its superconducting phase. The low temperature physics of the system is determined by a combined effect of collective sound-like plasma excitations and quantum phase slips. At $T=0$ the wire exhibits two quantum phase transitions, both being controlled by the dimensionless wire impedance $g$. While thicker wires with $g>16$ stay superconductin…
We present Fokker-Planck equations that describe transport of heat and spin in dirty unconventional superconducting quantum wires. Four symmetry classes are distinguished, depending on the presence or absence of time-reversal and spin rotation invariance. In the absence of spin-rotation symmetry, heat transport is anomalous in that the mean conductance decays like $1/\sqrt{L}$ instead of exponentially fast for large enough length $L$ of the wire. The Fokker-Planck equations in the presence of time-reversal symmetry are solved exactly and the mean conductance for quasiparticle transport is calc…
The iron-based superconductor FeTe$_{1-x}$Se$_{x}$ has attracted considerable attention as a candidate topological superconductor owing to a unique combination of topological surface states and bulk high-temperature superconductivity. The superconducting properties of as-grown single crystals, however, are highly variable and synthesis dependent due to excess interstitial iron impurities incorporated during growth. Here we report a novel physicochemical process for pumping this interstitial iron out of the FeTe$_{1-x}$Se$_{x}$ matrix and achieving bulk superconductivity. Our method should have…
We generalize the representation of the real time Green's functions introduced by Langreth and Nordlander [Phys. Rev. B 43 2541 (1991)] and Meir and Wingreen [Phys. Rev. Lett. 68 2512 (1992)] in stationary quantum transport in order to study problems with hybrid structures containing normal (N) and superconducting (S) pieces. We illustrate the treatment in a S-N junction under a stationary bias and investigate in detail the behavior of the equilibrium currents in a normal ring threaded by a magnetic flux with attached superconducting wires at equilibrium. We analyze the flux sensitivity of the…
We consider a one-dimensional superconducting wire where the total number of electrons can be controlled in the Coulomb blockade regime. We predict that a pi soliton (kink) will spontaneously form in the system when the number of electron is odd, because this configuration has a lower energy. If the wire with an odd number of electrons is closed in a ring, the phase difference on the two sides of the soliton will generate a supercurrent detectable by SQUID. The two degenerate states with the current flowing clockwise or counterclockwise can be utilized as a qubit.
Zeeman fields can drive semiconductor quantum wires with strong spin-orbit coupling and in proximity to s-wave superconductors into a topological phase which supports end Majorana fermions and offers an attractive platform for realizing topological quantum information processing. Here, we investigate how potential disorder affects the topological phase by a combination of analytical and numerical approaches. Most prominently, we find that the robustness of the topological phase against disorder depends sensitively and non-monotonously on the Zeeman field applied to the wire.
We introduce and discuss a scheme for Cooper-pair pumping. The scheme relies on the coherent transfer of a superposition of charge states across a superconducting island and is realized by adiabatic manipulation of magnetic fluxes. Differently from previous implementations, it does not require any modulation of electrostatic potentials. We find a peculiar dependence of the pumped charge on the superconducting phase bias across the pump and that an arbitrarily large amount of charge can be pumped in a single cycle when the phase bias is π. We explain these features and their relation to the adi…
In this paper, we study the conductance and shot noise in transport through a multi-site system in a two terminal configuration. The dependence of the transport on the number of atoms in the atomic wire is investigated using a tight-binding Hamiltonian and the nonequilibrium Green's function method. In addition to reproducing the even-odd behavior in the transmission probability at the Fermi energy or the linear response conductance in the normal-atomic wire-normal metallic(NAN) junctions, we find the following: (i) The shot noise is larger in the even-numbered atomic wire than in the odd-numb…
The response of a mesoscopic homogeneous superconducting wire, connected with bulk normal metal reservoirs, is theoretically investigated as function of the applied voltage. The finite relaxation length of the nonequilibrium quasiparticle distribution function $\bar{L_E}$ is included where we assumed that our wire is in the dirty limit. We found that {\it both} symmetric and asymmetric states can exist which are characterized by a stationary symmetric and asymmetric distribution of the order parameter with respect to the center of the wire. Current voltage characteristics of the wire with leng…
An array of quantum wires is a natural starting point in realizing two-dimensional topological phases. We study a system of weakly coupled quantum wires with Rashba spin-orbit coupling, proximity coupled to a conventional s-wave superconductor. A variety of topological phases are found in this model. These phases are characterized by "Strong" and "Weak" topological invariants, that capture the appearance of mid-gap Majorana modes (either chiral or non-chiral) on edges along and perpendicular to the wires. In particular, a phase with a single chiral Majorana edge mode (analogous to a $p+ip$ sup…
We study the proximity effect in a topological nanowire tunnel coupled to an s-wave superconducting substrate. We use a general Green's function approach that allows us to study the evolution of the Andreev bound states in the wire into Majorana fermions. We show that the strength of the tunnel coupling induces a topological transition in which the Majorana fermionic states can be destroyed when the coupling is very strong. Moreover, we provide a phenomenologial study of the effects of disorder in the superconductor on the formation of Majorana fermions. We note a non-trivial effect of a quasi…
We studied the superconducting (SC) state depletion process in an electron doped cuprate Pr$_{1.85}$Ce$_{0.15}$CuO$_{4-δ}$ by pumping with near-infrared (NIR) and narrow-band THz pulses. When pumping with THz pulses tuned just above the SC gap, we find the absorbed energy density required to deplete superconductivity, $A_{dep}$, matches the thermodynamic condensation energy. Contrary, by NIR pumping $A_{dep}$ is an order of magnitude higher, despite the fact that the SC gap is much smaller than the energy of relevant bosonic excitations. The result implies that only a small subset of bosons co…
A macroscopic fluid pump works according to the law of Newtonian mechanics and transfers a large number of molecules per cycle (of the order of 10^23). By contrast, a nano-scale charge pump can be thought as the ultimate miniaturization of a pump, with its operation being subject to quantum mechanics and with only few electrons or even fractions of electrons transfered per cycle. It generates a direct current in the absence of an applied voltage exploiting the time-dependence of some properties of a nano-scale conductor. The idea of pumping in nanostructures was discussed theoretically a few d…
A generalized theory of open quantum systems combined with mean-field theory is used to study a superconducting wire in contact with thermal baths at different temperatures. It is shown that, depending on the temperature of the colder bath, the temperature of the hotter bath can greatly exceed the equilibrium critical temperature, and still the local temperature in the wire is maintained below the critical temperature and hence the wire remains in the superconducting state. The effects of contact areas and disorder are studied. Finally, an experimental setup is suggested to test our prediction…
Steady state propagation of a magnetic perturbation along a monofilament superconducting wire in circumstances of thermomagnetic instability was investigated. At temperature T=4.2K and magnetic field B=0.5-0.7T the propagation velocity is v = 2.5 - 3.5 km/sec in NbTi wire and this one exceeds a 9 km/sec in NbZr wire.
Enhancements of superconducting properties were observed in FeSe wires using a quenching technique. Zero resistivity was achieved at about 10 K in quenched wires, which is about 2 K higher than that of polycrystalline FeSe bulk. Furthermore, transport Jc of quenched wires showed three times higher than that of furnace-cooled wires. In contrast, the quenched polycrystalline FeSe bulks did not show the enhancement of Tc. The quenching technique is a greatly promising for fabricating FeSe wires with high Tc and high Jc, and quenched FeSe wires have high potential for superconducting wire applicat…
The suppression of the mean field temperature of the superconducting transition, $T_c$, in homogeneous amorphous wires is studied. We develop a theory that gives $T_c$ in situations when the dynamically enhanced Coulomb repulsion competes with the contact attraction. The theory accurately describes recent experiments on $T_c$--suppression in superconducting wires, after a procedure that minimizes the role of nonuniversal mechanisms influencing $T_c$ is applied.
We have fabricated (Ba,K)Fe2As2 superconducting wires through ex-situ powder-in-tube method. Silver was used as a chemical addition to improve the performance of these superconducting wires. The transport critical current densities (Jc) have reached 1.3\times104 A/cm and 1.0\times104 A/cm2 at 4.2 K under self field in the wires with and without Ag addition. We used magneto-optical (MO) imaging technique to investigate the properties of grain boundaries in the (Ba,K)Fe2As2 superconducting wire with Ag addition. MO images show the weak links in the Fe-based superconducting wires for the first ti…
We show how the partition function of a network of parallel superconducting wires weakly coupled together by the proximity effect, subjected a vector potential along the wires can be mapped onto N-distinguishable two dimensional quantum-mechanics problem with a perpendicular imaginary magnetic field. Then, we show, using a mean field approximation, that, for a given coupling, there is a critical temperature for onset of inter-wire phase coherence. The transition temperature $T_c$ is plotted on both cases for non-magnetic and a magnetic field perpendicular to the wires.
Superconducting NbN wires have recently received attention as detectors for visible and infrared photons. We present experiments in which we use a NbN wire for high-efficiency (40 %) detection of single electrons with keV energy. We use the beam of a scanning electron microscope as a focussed, stable, and calibrated electron source. Scanning the beam over the surface of the wire provides a map of the detection efficiency. This map shows features as small as 150 nm, revealing wire inhomogeneities. The intrinsic resolution of this mapping method, superior to optical methods, provides the basis o…
We calculate analytically the spectrum of the Andreev bound states in a half-infinite superconducting wire with an arbitrary number of bands crossing the chemical potential. The normal state of the wire is assumed to have an antiunitary symmetry A (time reversal or its combination with a crystallographic point group operation), with A^2=-1 or +1. This symmetry may be broken by the superconducting order parameter and/or the boundary scattering. We present a model-independent proof of the existence of one Majorana mode near the end of the wire with an odd number of bands.
Magnetic measurements carried out on MgB_2 superconducting round wires have shown that the critical current density J_c(B_a) in wires sheathed by iron can be significantly higher than that in the same bare (unsheathed) wires over a wide applied magnetic field B_a range. The magnetic behavior is, however, strongly dependent on the magnetic history of the sheathed wires, as well as on the wire orientation with respect to the direction of the applied field. The behavior observed can be explained by magnetic interaction between the soft magnetic sheath and superconducting core, which can result in…
We demonstrate experimentally that the critical current in superconducting NbTiN wires is dependent on their geometrical shape, due to current-crowding effects. Geometric patterns such as 90 degree corners and sudden expansions of wire width are shown to result in the reduction of critical currents. The results are relevant for single-photon detectors as well as parametric amplifiers.
We demonstrate the fabrication of superconducting SmFeAsO1-xFx (Sm-1111) wires by using the ex-situ powder-in-tube technique. Sm-1111 powder and a binder composed of SmF3, samarium arsenide, and iron arsenide were used to synthesize the superconducting core. Although the F content of Sm-1111 is reduced in the process of ex-situ fabrication, the binder compensates by sufficiently supplementing the F content, thereby preventing a decrease in the superconducting transition temperature and a shrinking of the superconducting volume fraction. Thus, in the superconducting Sm-1111 wire with the binder…
We have fabricated the Fe(Se, Te) superconducting wire by a special process based on a powder-in-tube method. The pure Fe tube plays the role of not only the sheath but also the raw material for synthesizing the superconducting phases. We succeeded in observing zero resistivity current on the current-voltage measurements for the Fe(Se, Te) wire. Introduction of the pinning centers and fabricating a multi-core wire will enhance the critical current density for the next step.
We fabricated FeTe0.5Se0.5 superconducting wires using ex-situ Powder-in-tube method with an Fe sheath. It was amazing that superconducting current was observed in the as-drawn wire without any heat treatments. By heat treatment at 200C for 2 hours, Tczero and Jc at 4.2 K were enhanced up to 9.1 K and 64.1 A/cm2 (Ic = 182.6 mA), respectively. Furthermore, the Jc of FeTe0.5Se0.5 wire heat treated at 200C for 2 hours was not much sensitive to the applied magnetic fields. Therefore, FeTe0.5Se0.5 wires have a great potential for applications.
Intrinsic and extrinsic defects play an important role in training and degradation of superconducting wires and magnets. Various defects along with experimental data regarding the hierarchy of defects have been presented. Duxbury-Leath model of inverse worst defect cluster has been hypothesized to explain the statistical nature of the phenomenon. `Loss of memory' in the case of training has been explained for the first time.
