Mutually synchronized macroscopic Josephson oscillations demonstrated by polarization analysis of superconducting terahertz emitters

Abstract

We demonstrate mutual synchronization of Josephson oscillations in multiple stacks of intrinsic Josephson junctions of the cuprate superconductor Bi${}_2$Sr${}_2$CaCu${}_2$O${}_{8+\hat{I}´}$. Detailed analysis of the full polarization parameters allows the determination of a phase correlation between the stacks: a simultaneous emission state is described by a linear combination of individual emission states with a phase retardation. This proves that the stacks are coupled via a Josephson plasma in a superconducting substrate and the coupling matrices can be extracted from polarization analyses. Our findings suggest a route towards the realization of high-power terahertz sources based on the synchronization of a large number of intrinsic Josephson junctions.

to be published as a Letter in Physical Review Applied (32 pages, 12 figures, 1 table)