Imaging of Gate-Controlled Suppression of Superconductivity via the Meissner Effect

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Scheidegger, P. J., Knapp, K. J., Ognjanovic, U., Ruf, L., Diesch, S., Scheer, E., Di Bernardo, A., Degen, C. L.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Scheidegger, P. J.
Knapp, K. J.
Ognjanovic, U.
Ruf, L.
Diesch, S.
Scheer, E.
Di Bernardo, A.
Degen, C. L.
author_facet Scheidegger, P. J.
Knapp, K. J.
Ognjanovic, U.
Ruf, L.
Diesch, S.
Scheer, E.
Di Bernardo, A.
Degen, C. L.
contents It was recently discovered that supercurrents flowing through thin superconducting nanowires can be quenched by a gate voltage. This gate control of supercurrents, known as the GCS effect, could enable superconducting transistor logic. Here, we report that the GCS also manifests in a suppression of Meissner screening, establishing the phenomenon as a genuine feature of superconductivity that is not restricted to transport. Using a scanning nitrogen-vacancy magnetometer at sub-Kelvin temperatures, we image the nanoscale spatial region of GCS suppression in micron-size niobium islands. Our observations are compatible with a microscopic hot-spot model of quasiparticle generation and diffusion, and in conflict with other candidate mechanisms such as Joule heating or an electric field effect. Our work introduces an alternative means for studying quasiparticle dynamics in superconducting nanostructures, and showcases the power of local imaging techniques for understanding emergent condensed matter phenomena.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2510_09044
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Imaging of Gate-Controlled Suppression of Superconductivity via the Meissner Effect
Scheidegger, P. J.
Knapp, K. J.
Ognjanovic, U.
Ruf, L.
Diesch, S.
Scheer, E.
Di Bernardo, A.
Degen, C. L.
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Superconductivity
Quantum Physics
It was recently discovered that supercurrents flowing through thin superconducting nanowires can be quenched by a gate voltage. This gate control of supercurrents, known as the GCS effect, could enable superconducting transistor logic. Here, we report that the GCS also manifests in a suppression of Meissner screening, establishing the phenomenon as a genuine feature of superconductivity that is not restricted to transport. Using a scanning nitrogen-vacancy magnetometer at sub-Kelvin temperatures, we image the nanoscale spatial region of GCS suppression in micron-size niobium islands. Our observations are compatible with a microscopic hot-spot model of quasiparticle generation and diffusion, and in conflict with other candidate mechanisms such as Joule heating or an electric field effect. Our work introduces an alternative means for studying quasiparticle dynamics in superconducting nanostructures, and showcases the power of local imaging techniques for understanding emergent condensed matter phenomena.
title Imaging of Gate-Controlled Suppression of Superconductivity via the Meissner Effect
topic Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Superconductivity
Quantum Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.09044