title: Nonequilibrium Second-Order Phase Transition in a Cooper-Pair Insulator.
abstract: In certain disordered superconductors, upon increasing the magnetic field, superconductivity terminates with a direct transition into an insulating phase. This phase is comprised of localized Cooper pairs and is termed a Cooper-pair insulator. The current-voltage characteristics measured in this insulating phase are highly nonlinear and, at low temperatures, exhibit abrupt current jumps. Increasing the temperature diminishes the jumps until the current-voltage characteristics become continuous. We show that a direct correspondence exists between our system and systems that undergo an equilibrium, second-order, phase transition. We illustrate this correspondence by comparing our results to the van der Waals equation of state for the liquid-gas mixture. We use the similarities to identify a critical point where an out of equilibrium second-order-like phase transition occurs in our system. Approaching the critical point, we find a power-law behavior with critical exponents that characterizes the transition.
authors.affiliation: Department of Condensed Matter Physics, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Doron
authors.affiliation: Department of Condensed Matter Physics, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tamir
authors.affiliation: Department of Condensed Matter Physics, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mitra
authors.affiliation: Department of Condensed Matter Physics, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zeltzer
authors.affiliation: Department of Condensed Matter Physics, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ovadia
authors.affiliation: Department of Condensed Matter Physics, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Shahar