2000/03/13 by A. Bezryadin, C. N. Lau, M. Tinkham · 629 citations
Materials Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Carbon Nanotubes in Composites #Cooper pair #Nanowire #Phase (matter) #Quantum #Quantum and electron transport phenomena #Quantum limit #Quantum tunnelling #Quantum wire #Superconductivity #Surface and Thin Film Phenomena #cond-mat.mes-hall #cond-mat.supr-con
paper · pdf · doi:10.1038/35010060
published in Nature 404(6781), 971-974 (Nature Portfolio) · 14 pages, 3 figures. Accepted for publication in Nature
arxiv created 2000/03/13 · openalex publication_date 2000/04/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · arxiv updated 2017/05/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We report measurements on ultrathin (<10 nm) nanowires produced by coating carbon nanotubes with a superconducting amorphous MoGe alloy. We find that nanowires can be superconducting or insulating depending on their normal state resistance RN compared to Rq=h/(2e)2 -- the quantum resistance for Cooper pairs. If RN< Rq the tunneling of quantum phase slips (QPS) is prohibited due to strong damping, and so the wires stay superconducting. The insulating state, observed if RN> Rq, is explained in terms of proliferation of quantum phase slips and corresponding localization of Cooper pairs. The observed superconductor-insulator transition is analogous to the dissipative phase transition which takes place in Josephson Junctions at RN= Rq (Penttila et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. Vol.82, p.1004, 1999)