Radiofrequency generation by coherently moving fluxons
Authors:
Appl. Phys. Lett. 112, 152601 (2018)
Abstract:
A lattice of Abrikosov vortices in type II superconductors is characterized by a periodic modulation of the magnetic induction perpendicular to the applied magnetic field. For a coherent vortex motion under the action of a transport current, the magnetic induction at a given point of the sample varies in time with a washboard frequency fWB = v/d, where v is the vortex velocity and d is the distance between the vortices in the direction of motion. Here, by using a spectrum analyzer connected to a 50 nm-wide Au nanowire meander near the surface of a superconducting Nb film, we detect an ac voltage induced by coherently moving fluxons. The voltage is peaked at the washboard frequency, fWB, and its subharmonics, fTOF = fWB/5, determined by the antenna width. By sweeping the dc current value, we reveal that fWB can be tuned from 100 MHz to 1.5 GHz, thereby demonstrating that patterned normal metal/superconductor nanostructures can be used as dc-tunable generators operating in the radiofrequency range.