Non-equilibrium restoration of duality symmetry in the vicinity of the superconductor-insulator transition

Abstract

The magnetic field driven superconductor to insulator transition in thin films was theoretically analyzed via a vortex-charge duality transformation applied to the Hamiltonian. Vortices condensation was conjectured as the underline physical mechanism of the insulating phase. Experimental evidence supported duality symmetry across the magnetic-field driven superconductor to insulator transition in amorphous Indium Oxide films. Counterintuitively, duality symmetry is broken at low temperatures where the insulating phase develops strongly non linear current-voltage characteristics. Here, we follow the breakdown of duality symmetry down to very low temperatures and demonstrate the restoration of duality symmetry out of equilibrium.

4 pages, 3 figures

References in corpus (7)

• Nature of the superconductor-insulator transition in disordered superconductors
• Magnetically Induced Metallic Phase in Superconducting Tantalum Films
• Jumps in current-voltage characteristics in disordered films
• Evidence for charge-vortex duality at the LaAlO${}_3$/SrTiO${}_3$ interface
• High field termination of a Cooper-pair insulator
• Dissipative phases across the superconductor-to-insulator transition
• A Direct Determination of the Temperature of Overheated Electrons in an Insulator