Metal–superconductor transition in low-dimensional superconducting clusters embedded in two-dimensional electron systems
Motivated by recent experimental data on thin film superconductors and oxide interfaces, we propose a random-resistor network apt to describe the occurrence of a metal–superconductor transition in a two-dimensional electron system with disorder on the mesoscopic scale. We consider low-dimensional (e...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
IOP Publishing
2013-01-01
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| Series: | New Journal of Physics |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/15/2/023014 |
| _version_ | 1797751747203039232 |
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| author | D Bucheli S Caprara C Castellani M Grilli |
| author_facet | D Bucheli S Caprara C Castellani M Grilli |
| author_sort | D Bucheli |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Motivated by recent experimental data on thin film superconductors and oxide interfaces, we propose a random-resistor network apt to describe the occurrence of a metal–superconductor transition in a two-dimensional electron system with disorder on the mesoscopic scale. We consider low-dimensional (e.g. filamentary) structures of a superconducting cluster embedded in the two-dimensional network and we explore the separate effects and the interplay of the superconducting structure and of the statistical distribution of local critical temperatures. The thermal evolution of the resistivity is determined by a numerical calculation of the random-resistor network and, for comparison, a mean-field approach called effective medium theory (EMT). Our calculations reveal the relevance of the distribution of critical temperatures for clusters with low connectivity. In addition, we show that the presence of spatial correlations requires a modification of standard EMT to give qualitative agreement with the numerical results. Applying the present approach to an LaTiO _3 /SrTiO _3 oxide interface, we find that the measured resistivity curves are compatible with a network of spatially dense but loosely connected superconducting islands. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T16:54:08Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ea74ecce3d5647c09081f1f2dc357aac |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1367-2630 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T16:54:08Z |
| publishDate | 2013-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | New Journal of Physics |
| spelling | doaj.art-ea74ecce3d5647c09081f1f2dc357aac2023-08-08T11:04:09ZengIOP PublishingNew Journal of Physics1367-26302013-01-0115202301410.1088/1367-2630/15/2/023014Metal–superconductor transition in low-dimensional superconducting clusters embedded in two-dimensional electron systemsD Bucheli0S Caprara1C Castellani2M Grilli3CNISM and Dipartimento di Fisica Università di Roma ‘La Sapienza’ , Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, I-00185 Roma, ItalyCNISM and Dipartimento di Fisica Università di Roma ‘La Sapienza’ , Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, I-00185 Roma, Italy; Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto dei Sistemi Complessi, Via dei Taurini, I-00185 Roma, ItalyCNISM and Dipartimento di Fisica Università di Roma ‘La Sapienza’ , Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, I-00185 Roma, Italy; Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto dei Sistemi Complessi, Via dei Taurini, I-00185 Roma, ItalyCNISM and Dipartimento di Fisica Università di Roma ‘La Sapienza’ , Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, I-00185 Roma, Italy; Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto dei Sistemi Complessi, Via dei Taurini, I-00185 Roma, ItalyMotivated by recent experimental data on thin film superconductors and oxide interfaces, we propose a random-resistor network apt to describe the occurrence of a metal–superconductor transition in a two-dimensional electron system with disorder on the mesoscopic scale. We consider low-dimensional (e.g. filamentary) structures of a superconducting cluster embedded in the two-dimensional network and we explore the separate effects and the interplay of the superconducting structure and of the statistical distribution of local critical temperatures. The thermal evolution of the resistivity is determined by a numerical calculation of the random-resistor network and, for comparison, a mean-field approach called effective medium theory (EMT). Our calculations reveal the relevance of the distribution of critical temperatures for clusters with low connectivity. In addition, we show that the presence of spatial correlations requires a modification of standard EMT to give qualitative agreement with the numerical results. Applying the present approach to an LaTiO _3 /SrTiO _3 oxide interface, we find that the measured resistivity curves are compatible with a network of spatially dense but loosely connected superconducting islands.https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/15/2/023014 |
| spellingShingle | D Bucheli S Caprara C Castellani M Grilli Metal–superconductor transition in low-dimensional superconducting clusters embedded in two-dimensional electron systems New Journal of Physics |
| title | Metal–superconductor transition in low-dimensional superconducting clusters embedded in two-dimensional electron systems |
| title_full | Metal–superconductor transition in low-dimensional superconducting clusters embedded in two-dimensional electron systems |
| title_fullStr | Metal–superconductor transition in low-dimensional superconducting clusters embedded in two-dimensional electron systems |
| title_full_unstemmed | Metal–superconductor transition in low-dimensional superconducting clusters embedded in two-dimensional electron systems |
| title_short | Metal–superconductor transition in low-dimensional superconducting clusters embedded in two-dimensional electron systems |
| title_sort | metal superconductor transition in low dimensional superconducting clusters embedded in two dimensional electron systems |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/15/2/023014 |
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