Materials World Network: Novel Physical Phenomena in Unusual Mesoscopic Superconductors

材料世界网络：异常介观超导体中的新物理现象

• 批准号: 0908700
• 负责人: Ying Liu
• 金额: $ 45万
• 依托单位: Pennsylvania State Univ University Park
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-08-15 至 2013-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0908700&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Materials; World; Network; Novel; Physical

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). This Materials World Network (MWN) team consists of five experimentalists and two theorists from China, Colombia, Japan, Switzerland, and the US to investigate unusual, mostly unexplored mesoscopic superconductors. In particular it 1) studies ultrasmall mesoscopic superconductors that feature a singly, doubly, or multiply connected sample geometry as well as a destructive regime; 2) investigates mesoscopic, conventional s-wave superconductor, and/or a normal metal bordered by an unconventional, chiral p-wave superconductor; 3) explores p-wave superconductor-ferromagnetic metal-superconductor (S/F/S) Josephson junctions to understand the interplay between exchange and Cooper pairing interactions; and finally, 4) pursues integrated research and education activities. This work seeks to uncover novel physical phenomena by varying the sample topology and shrinking the sample size simultaneously, making use of recently discovered unconventional mesoscopic superconducting systems, or venturing into the fabrication and measurement of exotic p-wave S/F/S Josephson junctions for which dramatic phenomena have been predicted theoretically. Through these studies we expect to obtain new insights into sample-topology dependent mesoscopic superconductivity and unconventional superconductivity including Josephson coupling through a ferromagnetic a barrier. The unusual nature of the mesoscopic superconducting systems to be explored and the fact that they have largely been unexplored previously appear to ensure ample opportunities for new discoveries. In addition, this MWN team possesses an unusually wide range of technical expertise including ultrapure single crystal growth (by floating zone method), advanced e-beam lithography and focused ion beam nanofabrication, sophisticated structural and spectroscopic characterization (Z-contrasted transmission electron microscopy and low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy), highly specialized device fabrication (SFS Josephson junctions), and low-temperature measurements (dilution-refrigerator temperatures). On the theoretical side, our team includes specialists on computational modeling, phenomenology, and microscopic theories. This research lays a foundation for using mesoscopic superconductors for future technological applications and also serves as an effective vehicle for meaningful integration of research and education aiming at providing our graduate and undergraduate students an international environment for learning and research. This program helps attract more talents from the vast pool of woman and minority students to pursue a career in physical sciences. In addition to providing our students research experience in a multi institution, multi-culture environment through student exchange and the visits of our international collaborators.

该奖项是根据2009年《美国复苏与再投资法》（公法111-5）资助的。该材料世界网络（MWN）团队由五名实验家和两名来自中国，哥伦比亚，日本，瑞士和美国的理论家组成，调查了异常的，大多数未探索的中镜超导体。特别是它1）研究具有单独，双重或多重连接的样品几何形状以及破坏性状态的超质量超导体； 2）研究中镜，常规的S波超导体和/或正常金属，并由非常规的手性P波超导体接壤； 3）探索p波超导体 - 铁磁性金属磁性导体（S/F/S）约瑟夫森交界处，以了解交换与库珀配对相互作用之间的相互作用；最后，4）从事综合研究和教育活动。这项工作旨在通过改变样品拓扑结构并同时缩小样本量来揭示新颖的身体现象，利用最近发现的非常规的介观超导系统，或冒险进行外来的P-Wave S/F/S Josephson连接的外来制造和测量，以预测戏剧性的现象。通过这些研究，我们期望获得对样品依赖性介绍性超导性和非常规超导性的新见解，包括约瑟夫森通过铁磁A屏障耦合。探索介质超导系统的异常性质以及以前没有探索它们的事实，似乎可以确保有足够的新发现机会。 In addition, this MWN team possesses an unusually wide range of technical expertise including ultrapure single crystal growth (by floating zone method), advanced e-beam lithography and focused ion beam nanofabrication, sophisticated structural and spectroscopic characterization (Z-contrasted transmission electron microscopy and low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy), highly specialized device fabrication (SFS Josephson连接）和低温测量（稀释 - 冰箱温度）。从理论方面来说，我们的团队包括计算建模，现象学和微观理论的专家。 这项研究奠定了用于将介观超导体用于未来技术应用的基础，并且还成为有意义地整合研究和教育的有效工具，旨在为我们的研究生和本科生提供一个国际学习和研究的环境。该计划有助于吸引众多女性和少数族裔学生的更多才能，从而从事体育科学的职业。除了通过学生交流和我们国际合作者的访问提供多个机构的学生研究经验，还提供多元文化环境。