Filippo Gaggioli, ETH Zurich

Superconducting diodes and the critical state of atomically thin superconductors

Abstract:

The comprehensive understanding of superconductivity is a multi-scale task that involves several levels, starting from the electronic scale determining the microscopic mechanism, going to the phenomenological scale describing vortices and the continuum-elastic scale describing vortex matter, to the macroscopic scale relevant in technological applications. 

The prime example for such a macro-phenomenological description is the Bean model that is hugely successful in describing the magnetic and transport properties of bulk superconducting devices. 

Motivated by the development of novel devices based on superconductivity in atomically-thin films, such as twisted-layer graphene, here, we present a simple macro-phenomenological description of the critical state in such atomically-thin films. 

While transverse screening and demagnetization can be neglected in these systems, thereby simplifying the task in comparison with usual thin-film- and platelet shaped samples, surface- and bulk pinning are important elements to be included. 

We use our critical state model to describe the transport and magnetic properties of atomically-thin films, including the superconducting diode effect observed in twisted moiré superconductors.