Interplay Between Yu-Shiba-Rusinov States and Multiple Andreev Reflections

Motivated by recent scanning tunneling microscopy experiments on single magnetic impurities on superconducting surfaces, we present here a comprehensive theoretical study of the interplay between Yu-Shiba-Rusinov bound states and (multiple) Andreev reflections. Our theory is based on a combination of an Anderson model with broken spin degeneracy and nonequilibrium Green's function techniques that allows us to describe the electronic transport through a magnetic impurity coupled to superconducting leads for arbitrary junction transparency. Using this combination we are able to elucidate the different tunneling processes that give a significant contribution to the subgap transport. In particular, we predict the occurrence of a large variety of Andreev reflections mediated by Yu-Shiba-Rusinov bound states that clearly differ from the standard Andreev processes in non-magnetic systems. Moreover, we provide concrete guidelines on how to experimentally identify the subgap features originating from these tunneling events. Overall, our work provides new insight into the role of the spin degree of freedom in Andreev transport physics.Comment: 15 pages, 10 figure

Field enhancement in subnanometer metallic gaps

Motivated by recent experiments [Ward et al., Nature Nanotech. 5, 732 (2010)], we present here a theoretical analysis of the optical response of sharp gold electrodes separated by a subnanometer gap. In particular, we have used classical finite difference time domain simulations to investigate the electric field distribution in these nanojunctions upon illumination. Our results show a strong confinement of the field within the gap region, resulting in a large enhancement compared to the incident field. Enhancement factors exceeding 1000 are found for interelectrode distances on the order of a few angstroms, which are fully compatible with the experimental findings. Such huge enhancements originate from the coupling of the incident light to the evanescent field of hybrid plasmons involving charge density oscillations in both electrodes.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, to appear in Physical Review

Bright and dark breathers in Fermi-Pasta-Ulam lattices

In this paper we study the existence and linear stability of bright and dark breathers in one-dimensional FPU lattices. On the one hand, we test the range of validity of a recent breathers existence proof [G. James, {\em C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris}, 332, Ser. 1, pp. 581 (2001)] using numerical computations. Approximate analytical expressions for small amplitude bright and dark breathers are found to fit very well exact numerical solutions even far from the top of the phonon band. On the other hand, we study numerically large amplitude breathers non predicted in the above cited reference. In particular, for a class of asymmetric FPU potentials we find an energy threshold for the existence of exact discrete breathers, which is a relatively unexplored phenomenon in one-dimensional lattices. Bright and dark breathers superposed on a uniformly stressed static configuration are also investigated.Comment: 11 pages, 16 figure

Breathers in FPU systems, near and far from the phonon band

There exists a recent mathematical proof on the existence of small amplitude breathers in FPU systems near the phonon band, which includes a prediction of their amplitude and width. In this work we obtain numerically these breathers, and calculate the range of validity of the predictions, which extends relatively far from the phonon band. There exist also large amplitude breathers with the same frequency, with the consequence that there is an energy gap for breather creation in these systems.Comment: 3 pages, 2 figures, proceeding of the conference on Localization and to and Energy Transfer in Nonlinear Systems, June 17-21, 2002, San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Madrid, Spain. To be published by World Scientifi

Quantum Interference and Decoherence in Single-Molecule Junctions: How Vibrations Induce Electrical Current

Quantum interference effects and decoherence mechanisms in single-molecule junctions are analyzed employing a nonequilibrium Green's function approach. Electrons tunneling through quasi-degenerate states of a nanoscale molecular junction exhibit interference effects. We show that electronic-vibrational coupling, inherent to any molecular junction, strongly quenches such interference effects. As a result, the electrical current can be significantly larger than without electronic-vibrational coupling. The analysis reveals that the quenching of quantum interference is particularly pronounced if the junction is vibrationally highly excited, e.g. due to current-induced nonequilibrium effects in the resonant transport regime.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure

Breather trapping and breather transmission in a DNA model with an interface

We study the dynamics of moving discrete breathers in an interfaced piecewise DNA molecule. This is a DNA chain in which all the base pairs are identical and there exists an interface such that the base pairs dipole moments at each side are oriented in opposite directions. The Hamiltonian of the Peyrard--Bishop model is augmented with a term that includes the dipole--dipole coupling between base pairs. Numerical simulations show the existence of two dynamical regimes. If the translational kinetic energy of a moving breather launched towards the interface is below a critical value, it is trapped in a region around the interface collecting vibrational energy. For an energy larger than the critical value, the breather is transmitted and continues travelling along the double strand with lower velocity. Reflection phenomena never occur. The same study has been carried out when a single dipole is oriented in opposite direction to the other ones. When moving breathers collide with the single inverted dipole, the same effects appear. These results emphasize the importance of this simple type of local inhomogeneity as it creates a mechanism for the trapping of energy. Finally, the simulations show that, under favorable conditions, several launched moving breathers can be trapped successively at the interface region producing an accumulation of vibrational energy. Moreover, an additional colliding moving breather can produce a saturation of energy and a moving breather with all the accumulated energy is transmitted to the chain.Comment: 15 pages, 11 figure

Nucleation of breathers via stochastic resonance in nonlinear lattices

By applying a staggered driving force in a prototypical discrete model with a quartic nonlinearity, we demonstrate the spontaneous formation and destruction of discrete breathers with a selected frequency due to thermal fluctuations. The phenomenon exhibits the striking features of stochastic resonance (SR): a nonmonotonic behavior as noise is increased and breather generation under subthreshold conditions. The corresponding peak is associated with a matching between the external driving frequency and the breather frequency at the average energy given by ambient temperature.Comment: Added references, figure 5 modified to include new dat

Collective Coordinates Theory for Discrete Soliton Ratchets in the sine-Gordon Model

A collective coordinate theory is develop for soliton ratchets in the damped discrete sine-Gordon model driven by a biharmonic force. An ansatz with two collective coordinates, namely the center and the width of the soliton, is assumed as an approximated solution of the discrete non-linear equation. The evolution of these two collective coordinates, obtained by means of the Generalized Travelling Wave Method, explains the mechanism underlying the soliton ratchet and captures qualitatively all the main features of this phenomenon. The theory accounts for the existence of a non-zero depinning threshold, the non-sinusoidal behaviour of the average velocity as a function of the difference phase between the harmonics of the driver, the non-monotonic dependence of the average velocity on the damping and the existence of non-transporting regimes beyond the depinning threshold. In particular it provides a good description of the intriguing and complex pattern of subspaces corresponding to different dynamical regimes in parameter space