Weak-link Josephson Junctions Made from Topological Crystalline Insulators

Speaker:

Rodney Snyder (JQI)

Time:

Friday, February 22, 2019 - 12:00pm

Location:

PSC 2136

We report on the fabrication of Josephson junctions using

the topological crystalline insulator Pb0.5Sn0.5Te as the weak link.

The properties of these junctions are characterized and compared to

those fabricated with weak links of PbTe, a similar material yet

topologically trivial. Most striking is the difference in the ac

Josephson effect: junctions made with Pb0.5Sn0.5Te exhibit a rich

subharmonic structure consistent with a skewed current-phase relation.

This structure is absent in junctions fabricated from PbTe. A

discussion is given on the origin of this effect as an indication of

novel behavior arising from the topologically nontrivial surface

state.