title: Statistics of localized phase slips in tunable width planar point contacts.
abstract: The main dissipation mechanism in superconducting nanowires arises from phase slips. Thus far, most of the studies focus on long nanowires where coexisting events appear randomly along the nanowire. In the present work we investigate highly confined phase slips at the contact point of two superconducting leads. Profiting from the high current crowding at this spot, we are able to shrink in-situ the nanoconstriction. This procedure allows us to investigate, in the very same sample, thermally activated phase slips and the probability density function of the switching current Iswneeded to trigger an avalanche of events. Furthermore, for an applied current larger than Isw, we unveil the existence of two distinct thermal regimes. One corresponding to efficient heat removal where the constriction and bath temperatures remain close to each other, and another one in which the constriction temperature can be substantially larger than the bath temperature leading to the formation of a hot spot. Considering that the switching current distribution depends on the exact thermal properties of the sample, the identification of different thermal regimes is of utmost importance for properly interpreting the dissipation mechanisms in narrow point contacts.
authors.affiliation: Experimental Physics of Nanostructured Materials, Q-MAT, CESAM, Université de Liège, B-4000 Sart Tilman, Belgium.
authors.forename: Xavier D A
authors.initials: XD
authors.lastname: Baumans
authors.affiliation: INPAC-Institute for Nanoscale Physics and Chemistry, Department of Physics and Astronomy, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200D, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Vyacheslav S
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: Zharinov
authors.affiliation: INPAC-Institute for Nanoscale Physics and Chemistry, Department of Physics and Astronomy, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200D, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Eline
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Raymenants
authors.affiliation: Experimental Physics of Nanostructured Materials, Q-MAT, CESAM, Université de Liège, B-4000 Sart Tilman, Belgium.
authors.forename: Sylvain
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Blanco Alvarez
authors.affiliation: INPAC-Institute for Nanoscale Physics and Chemistry, Department of Physics and Astronomy, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200D, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Jeroen E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Scheerder
authors.affiliation: Experimental Physics of Nanostructured Materials, Q-MAT, CESAM, Université de Liège, B-4000 Sart Tilman, Belgium.
authors.forename: Jérémy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brisbois
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale e dell´ Informazione, Università degli Studi della Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, I-81031, Aversa, Ce, Italy.|CNR-SPIN UOS Napoli, Monte S.Angelo-via Cinthia, I-80126, Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Davide
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Massarotti
authors.affiliation: CNR-SPIN UOS Napoli, Monte S.Angelo-via Cinthia, I-80126, Napoli, Italy.|Dipartimento di Fisica "E. Pancini", Università degli Studi di Napoli 'Federico II', Monte S.Angelo, I-80126 Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Caruso
authors.affiliation: CNR-SPIN UOS Napoli, Monte S.Angelo-via Cinthia, I-80126, Napoli, Italy.|Dipartimento di Fisica "E. Pancini", Università degli Studi di Napoli 'Federico II', Monte S.Angelo, I-80126 Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tafuri
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Solid State Physics and Magnetism, KU Leuven, B-3001, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Ewald
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Janssens
authors.affiliation: INPAC-Institute for Nanoscale Physics and Chemistry, Department of Physics and Astronomy, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200D, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Victor V
authors.initials: VV
authors.lastname: Moshchalkov
authors.affiliation: INPAC-Institute for Nanoscale Physics and Chemistry, Department of Physics and Astronomy, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200D, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Joris
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Van de Vondel
authors.affiliation: Experimental Physics of Nanostructured Materials, Q-MAT, CESAM, Université de Liège, B-4000 Sart Tilman, Belgium.
authors.forename: Alejandro V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Silhanek