Inhomogeneous state in non-equilibrium superconductor/normal metal tunnel structures: a LOFF-like phase for non-magnetic systems

Abstract

We analyze non-equilibrium states in a tunnel superconductor-normal metal (NSN) structure in the presence of a tunnel current $I$. We use an approximation of an effective temperature $T$ and calculate the current-voltage I-V characteristics. It is shown that the I-V dependence may have an S-shaped form. We determine nonuniform current $I(x)$ and temperature $T(x)$ distributions that arise as a result of instability of the uniform state with negative differential conductance ($dI/dV<0$). We discuss an analogy with equilibrium superconductors with an exchange field in which nonuniform states predicted by Larkin-Ovchinnikov and Fulde-Ferrel are possible.

9 pages, 4 figures

References in corpus (6)

• Jumps in current-voltage characteristics in disordered films
• Bi-stability in voltage-biased NISIN structures
• Nonequilibrium electron cooling by NIS tunnel junctions
• Different types of the Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov states induced by anisotropy effects
• Electrodynamics of Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov superconducting state
• Antiferromagnetic order in the FFLO state

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• In-plane FFLO instability in superconductor-normal metal bilayer system under non-equilibrium quasiparticle distribution
• Paramagnetic Meissner effect in voltage-biased proximity systems
• Bistable state in superconductor/ferromagnet heterostructures
• Emergence of Larkin-Ovchinnikov-type superconducting state in a voltage-driven superconductor
• Engineering nonequilibrium superconducting phases in a voltage-driven superconductor under an external magnetic field
• Superconducting bistability in floating Al islands of hybrid Al/InAs nanowires
• Voltage controllable superconducting state in the multi-terminal superconductor-normal metal bridge
• Modeling the computer memory based on the ferromagnet/superconductor multilayers
• Emergence of Charge-Imbalanced BCS State and Suppression of Nonequilibrium FFLO State in Asymmetric NSN Junctions