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 mixture of these modes results in the generation of circularly-polarized THz waves. We also show that the circular polarization dramatically changes with the applied voltage. The emitter based on IJJs can emit circularly-polarized and continuum THz waves by the local heating, and will be useful for various technological application.
This paper reports a practical method of generating circularly polarized terahertz (THz) waves from intrinsic Josephson junctions (IJJs) and controlling their polarization states by external local heating. We theoretically find that a mesa-structure IJJ whose geometry is almost square can emit circularly polarized THz waves by local heating of the mesa. Moreover, we demonstrate that the polarization states of the THz waves change dramatically with the local heating position. Our results indicate that the use of local heating can provide a high level of controllability of the THz emissions and …
We reply to the comment [arXiv:0903.5110] on our paper "Mechanism of Terahertz Electromagnetic Emission from Intrinsic Josephson Junctions" [arXiv:0810.5268].
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.
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）
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.
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…
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.
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…
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…
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…
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 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…
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）
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…
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,…
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 …
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 study a singlet-triplet Josephson junction between a conventional s-wave superconductor and an unconventional p$_{\rm x}$-wave superconductor. The Andreev spectrum of the junction yields a spontaneous magnetization in equilibrium. This allows manipulating the occupation of the Andreev levels using an ac Zeeman field. The induced Rabi oscillations manifest themselves as a resonance in the current-phase relation. For a circularly polarized magnetic field, we find a spin selection rule, yielding Rabi oscillations only in a certain interval of the superconducting phase difference.
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 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.
We study the effect of coupling between the superconducting current and magnetization in the superconductor/ferromagnet/superconductor Josephson junction under an applied circularly polarized magnetic field. Manifestation of ferromagnetic resonance in the frequency dependence of the amplitude of the magnetization and the average critical current density is demonstrated numerically. The IV-characteristics show subharmonic steps that form devil's staircases, following a continued fraction algorithm. The origin of the found steps is related to the effect of the magnetization dynamics on the phase…
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）
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）
We investigate the Josephson effcet in superconductor-normal-superconductor junction (SNS) base on the doped unbiased silicene under the perpendicular electric field and off-resonance circularly polarized light. The Andreev reflection (including the retroreflection and specular one) during the subgap transport, the free energy, and the reversal of the Josephson effect as well as the emergence of $ϕ_{0}$-junction are exploited. The Andreev reflection is complete in the NS interface even for the clean interface and without the Fermi wave vector mismatch, which is opposite to the case of ferromag…
We theoretically propose a practical method for realizing intense terahertz (THz) emission from intrinsic Josephson junctions (IJJs) using an external heat source. An artificial inhomogeneous temperature distribution by the local heating strongly excites the Josephson plasma wave inside IJJs and enhances THz emission power. We show optimum heating conditions for achieving high power THz emission. Our result indicates that local heat control is a powerful method to realize practical solid-state THz-emitters utilizing IJJs.
Intrinsic Josephson junctions in high-temperature superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 are known for their capability to emit high-power terahertz photons with widely tunable frequencies. Hotspots, as inhomogeneous temperature distributions across the junctions, are believed to play a critical role in synchronizing the gauge-invariant phase difference among the junctions, so as to achieve coherent strong emission. Previous optical imaging techniques have indirectly suggested that the hotspot temperature can go higher than the superconductor critical temperature. However, such optical approaches often …
The hallmark of superconductivity is the rigidity of the quantum-mechanical phase of electrons, responsible for superfluid behavior and Meissner effect. The strength of the phase stiffness is set by the Josephson coupling, which is strongly anisotropic in layered superconducting cuprates. So far, THz light pulses have been efficiently used to achieve non-linear control of the out-of-plane Josephson plasma mode, whose frequency scale lies in the THz range. However, the high-energy in-plane plasma mode has been assumed to be insensitive to THz pumping. Here, we show that THz driving of both low-…
We report the electrical transport in vertical Josephson tunnel junctions (area 400 $μm$$^2$) using GdBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_7$$_{-δ}$ electrodes and SrTiO$_3$ as an insulating barrier (with thicknesses between 1 nm and 4 nm). The results show Josephson coupling for junctions with SrTiO$_3$ barriers of 1 nm and 2 nm. The latter displays a Josephson of 8.9 mV at 12 K. This value is larger than the usually observed in planar arrays of junctions. Our results are promising for the development of superconducting electronic devices in the terahertz regime.
We theoretically study the propagation of a Terahertz (THz) Gaussian beam through a thin sample of layered superconductor. We consider the beam axis and the superconducting layers to be perpendicular to the sample interface, while the electric field in the beam is perpendicular to the layers. We show that, in such a geometry, the Josephson current between the superconducting layers supports lensing of the beam instead of divergence on the Rayleigh range. Moreover, due to the nonlinearity, the focal length and waist of the transmitted beam depend on the incident beam intensity. These dependence…
The interplay between charge order and superconductivity remains one of the central themes of research in quantum materials. In the case of cuprates, the coupling between striped charge fluctuations and local electromagnetic fields is especially important, as it affects transport properties, coherence and dimensionality of superconducting correlations. Here, we study the emission of coherent terahertz radiation in single-layer cuprates of the La$_{2-x}$Ba$_x$CuO$_4$ family, for which this effect is expected to be forbidden by symmetry. We find that emission vanishes for compounds in which the …
Stacks of intrinsic Josephson junctions (IJJs) in high-temperature superconductors enable the fabrication of compact sources of coherent terahertz radiation. Here we demonstrate that multiple stacks patterned on the same Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+delta crystal can - under optimized conditions - be synchronized to emit high-power THz-radiation. For three synchronized stacks we achieved 610 microwatts of continuous-wave coherent radiation power at 0.51 THz. We suggest that synchronization is promoted by THz-waves in the base crystal. We note though that synchronization cannot be achieved in all samples. How…
We re-examined the angular dependence of the radiation from the intrinsic Josephson junctions in rectangular mesas of Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CaCu$_2$O$_{8+δ}$, in order to determine if the cavity mode part of the radiation arises from waves across the width $w$ or along the length $\ell$ of the mesas, associated with ``hot spots'' [Wang {\it et al.}, Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 105}, 057002 (2010)]. We derived analytic forms for the angular dependence expected in both cases for a general cavity mode in which the width of the mesa corresponds to an integer multiple of one-half the wavelength of the radiation. A…
