Scientists unlock new quantum switching mechanism in exotic superconductors
Researchers have discovered that exotic crystal structures called Fibonacci quasicrystals can dramatically amplify electrical switching effects in superconductors, opening a path to more precise quantum devices. The finding reveals how to harness unconventional materials to control quantum phenomena—a capability that could reshape superconductor engineering for next-generation computing and sensing applications.
Originaltitel: Josephson Effect in Fibonacci Superconductors from Topological Supragap States
We theoretically investigate the Josephson effect between two proximized Fibonacci quasicrystals. A quasiperiodic modulation of the chemical potential on a superconducting substrate induces topological gaps and edge modes with energies above the superconducting gap. We reveal that these edge modes develop superconducting correlations which significantly impact the Josephson current, and we term them Fibonacci-Andreev bound states. Notably, the contribution from these edge modes can be controlled by the Fibonacci sequence arrangement, known as phason angle, and can dominate the Josephson effect over the conventional subgap Andreev bound states in short junctions. The interplay between the Josephson effect and nontrivial edge modes in quasiperiodic systems presents new opportunities for exploring exotic superconducting phenomena in quasicrystals.