The Josephson junction as a quantum engine
We treat the Cooper pairs in the superconducting electrodes of a Josephson junction (JJ) as an open system, coupled via Andreev scattering to external baths of electrons. The disequilibrium between the baths generates the direct-current bias applied to the JJ. In the weak-coupling limit we obtain a...
| Autores: | , , , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2023 |
| País: | Costa Rica |
| Institución: | Universidad de Costa Rica |
| Repositorio: | Kérwá |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:kerwa.ucr.ac.cr:10669/90706 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/10669/90706 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | superconductivity Josephson junctions quantum engines quantum thermodynamics self-oscillations hidden attractors |
| Sumario: | We treat the Cooper pairs in the superconducting electrodes of a Josephson junction (JJ) as an open system, coupled via Andreev scattering to external baths of electrons. The disequilibrium between the baths generates the direct-current bias applied to the JJ. In the weak-coupling limit we obtain a Markovian master equation that provides a simple dynamical description consistent with the main features of the JJ, including the form of the current-voltage characteristic, its hysteresis, and the appearance under periodic voltage driving of discrete Shapiro steps. For small dissipation, our model also exhibits a self-oscillation of the JJ's electrical dipole with frequency Ω = 2eV/ℏ around mean voltage V. This self-oscillation, associated with "hidden attractors" of the nonlinear equations of motion, explains the observed production of monochromatic radiation with frequency Ω and its harmonics. We argue that this picture of the JJ as a quantum engine resolves open questions about the Josephson effect as an irreversible process and could open new perspectives in quantum thermodynamics and in the theory of dynamical systems. |
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