QuMat seminar

Opportunities from single magnetic adatoms on superconductors Speaker: Katharina Franke – Freie Universität Berlin Host: Ingmar Swart

Abstract:

Magnetic adatoms on superconductors induce bound states – known as Yu-Shiba-Rusinov (YSR) states – inside the superconducting energy gap of the underlying substrate. These states have been widely characterized by scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS), leading to a fundamental understanding on how spin-carrying orbitals exchange couple to the substrate, how the YSR states hybridize and how they eventually form bands within the superconducting energy gap.

Adding to this versatile platform, magnetic adatoms can be included into Josephson junctions formed by approaching the atom with a superconducting STM tip. Remarkably, the presence of YSR states induces diode-like behavior of the Josephson junction. This implies that the junction allows for dissipationless supercurrent flow in one direction, while the current in the other direction underlies dissipation.

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