Optimizing one dimensional superconducting diodes: Interplay of Rashba spin-orbit coupling and magnetic fields
arXiv:2407.12455 · doi:10.1038/s42005-025-02044-x
Abstract
The superconducting diode effect (SDE) refers to the non-reciprocal nature of the critical current (maximum current that a superconductor can withstand before turning into a normal metal) of a superconducting device. Here, we investigate SDE in helical superconductors with broken inversion and time-reversal symmetry, focusing on a prototypical Rashba nanowire device proximitized by an s-wave superconductor and subjected to external magnetic fields. Using a self-consistent Bogoliubov-de Gennes mean-field formalism, we analyze the interplay between linear and higher-order spin-orbit coupling (SOC), bulk supercurrents, and external magnetic fields. Our results demonstrate that Rashba nanowires with only linear SOC can achieve incredibly large diode efficiencies > 45% through the interplay of longitudinal and transverse magnetic fields. Notably, higher-order SOC introduces qualitatively different behavior, enabling finite diode efficiency even in the absence of a longitudinal Zeeman field due to inherent energy dispersion asymmetry. We present a comprehensive phase diagram of the device elucidating the emergent Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO) superconducting state and demonstrate that proximitized Rashba nanowires offer a versatile, practical platform for SDE, with potential realizations in existing material systems. These results provide crucial insights for optimizing SDE in nanoscale superconducting devices, paving the way for next-generation dissipationless quantum electronics.
arXiv comment9 pages, 8 figures. Comments are welcome
References in corpus (48)
- Majorana Fermions and a Topological Phase Transition in Semiconductor-Superconductor Heterostructures
- Helical liquids and Majorana bound states in quantum wires
- New directions in the pursuit of Majorana fermions in solid state systems
- New Perspectives for Rashba Spin-Orbit Coupling
- Realizing Majorana zero modes in superconductor-semiconductor heterostructures
- Non-Abelian quantum order in spin-orbit-coupled semiconductors: The search for topological Majorana particles in solid state systems
- Majorana Fermions in Semiconductor Nanowires
- Supercurrent diode effect and finite momentum superconductivity
- Multichannel Generalization of Kitaev's Majorana End States and a Practical Route to Realize Them in Thin Films
- Zero-field superconducting diode effect in small-twist-angle trilayer graphene
- A phenomenological theory of superconductor diodes
- Supercurrent diode effect and magnetochiral anisotropy in few-layer NbSe
- Search for Majorana fermions in multiband semiconducting nanowires
- Quantum transport in Rashba spin-orbit materials: A review
- Theory of the supercurrent diode effect in Rashba superconductors with arbitrary disorder
- Spin-selective Peierls transition in interacting one-dimensional conductors with spin-orbit interaction
- Strong tuning of Rashba spin orbit interaction in single InAs nanowires
- Higher-order contributions to the Rashba-Bychkov effect with application to Bi/Ag(111) surface alloy
- Cubic Rashba spin-orbit interaction of two-dimensional hole gas in strained-Ge/SiGe quantum well
- The Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov state for ultracold fermions in lattice and harmonic potentials: a review
- Josephson Diode Effect in High Mobility InSb Nanoflags
- Superconducting diode effect due to magnetochiral anisotropy in topological insulator and Rashba nanowires
- Robustness of Majorana Fermion induced Fractional Josephson Effect
- Diamagnetic mechanism of critical current non-reciprocity in multilayered superconductors
- Supercurrent Diode Effect, Spin Torques, and Robust Zero-Energy Peak in Planar Half-Metallic Trilayers
- Hybrid helical state and superconducting diode effect in S/F/TI heterostructures
- Magnetic Proximity-Induced Superconducting Diode Effect and Infinite Magnetoresistance in van der Waals Heterostructure
- Anomalous Josephson effect in semiconducting nanowires as a signature of the topologically nontrivial phase
- Superconducting diode effect and nonreciprocal transition lines
- Geometry controlled superconducting diode and anomalous Josephson effect triggered by the topological phase transition in curved proximitized nanowires
- Parity protected superconducting diode effect in topological Josephson junctions
- Possible signatures of mixed-parity superconductivity in doped polar SrTiO3 films
- Enhanced Superconducting Diode Effect due to coexisting Phases
- Spin-orbit coupling effects in zinc-blende InSb and wurtzite InAs nanowires: Realistic calculations with multiband method
- Superconducting diode effect in quasi-one-dimensional systems
- Strong influence of spin-orbit coupling on magnetotransport in two-dimensional hole systems
- Electrical spin orientation, spin-galvanic and spin-Hall effects in disordered two-dimensional systems
- Geometric Josephson effects in chiral topological nanowires
- Magnetoelectric effects in superconducting nanowires with Rashba spin-orbit coupling
- Josephson Diode Effect in Topological Superconductor
- Strongly anisotropic spin-orbit splitting in a two-dimensional electron gas
- Ionic gating in metallic superconductors: A brief review
- Superconducting quantum interference device without Josephson junctions
- Superconducting diodes from magnetization gradients
- Geometry -- dependent effects in Majorana nanowires
- Spin relaxation in wurtzite nanowires
- Do Majorana zero modes emerge in the hybrid nanowire under a strong magnetic field?
- Tunable correlation effects of magnetic impurities by the cubic Rashba spin-orbit couplings
Cited by in corpus (5)
- Dissipation-enhanced non-reciprocal superconductivity: application to multi-valley superconductors
- Enhanced Superconducting Diode Effect in the Asymmetric Hatsugai-Kohmoto Model
- Topological superconductivity and superconducting diode effect mediated via unconventional magnet and Ising spin-orbit coupling
- Field-free Superconducting Diode Effect and Topological Fulde-Ferrell Superconductivity in Altermagnetic Shiba Chains
- Josephson diode effect via a non-equilibrium Rashba system