Spontaneous formation of a pi soliton in a superconducting wire with an odd number of electrons.
We consider a one-dimensional superconducting wire where the total number of electrons can be controlled in the Coulomb blockade regime. We predict that a pi soliton (kink) will spontaneously form in the system when the number of electrons is odd, because this configuration has a lower energy. If the wire with an odd number of electrons is closed in a ring, the phase difference on the two sides of the soliton will generate a supercurrent detectable by a SQUID. The two degenerate states with the current flowing clockwise or counterclockwise can be utilized as a qubit.
Kwon
Hyok-Jon
HJ
Department of Physics and Center for Superconductivity Research, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742-4111, USA.
Yakovenko
Victor M
VM