1997/11/06 by Mahn-Soo Choi, J. Yi, M. Y. Choi +2 · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #cond-mat.mes-hall #cond-mat.supr-con
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevb.57.r716
published as Phys. Rev. B 57, R716 (1998) · REVTeX+5 EPS figures, To appear in PRB Rapids
arxiv created 1997/11/06 · arxiv updated 2009/11/30
We investigate the quantum phase transition in a one-dimensional chain of ultra-small superconducting grains, considering both the self- and junction capacitances. At zero temperature, the system is transformed into a two-dimensional system of classical vortices, where the junction capacitance introduces anisotropy in the interaction between vortices. This leads to the superconductor-insulator transition of the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless type, as the ratios of the Josephson coupling energy to the charging energies are varied. It is found that the junction capacitance plays a role similar to that of dissipation and tends to suppress quantum fluctuations; nevertheless the insulator region survives even for arbitrarily large values of the junction capacitance.