| Title | Diode effect in Josephson junctions with a single magnetic atom |
| Authors | Martina Trahms, Larissa Melischek, Jacob F. Steiner, Bharti Mahendru, Idan Tamir, Nils Bogdanoff, Olof Peters, Gael Reecht, Clemens B. Winkelmann, Felix von Oppen, Katharina J. Franke |
| Journal | Nature |
| Vol. 615, 2023, pg. 628 |
| Abstract | Current flow in electronic devices can be asymmetric with bias direction, a phenomenon underlying the utility of diodes and known as non-reciprocal charge transport. The promise of dissipationless electronics has recently stimulated the quest for superconducting diodes, and non-reciprocal superconducting devices have been realized in various non-centrosymmetric systems. Probing the ultimate limits of miniaturization, we have created atomic-scale Pb--Pb Josephson junctions in a scanning tunneling microscope. Pristine junctions stabilized by a single Pb atom exhibit hysteretic behavior, confirming the high quality of the junctions, but no asymmetry between the bias directions. Non-reciprocal supercurrents emerge when inserting a single magnetic atom into the junction, with the preferred direction depending on the atomic species. Aided by theoretical modelling, we trace the non-reciprocity to quasiparticle currents flowing via Yu-Shiba-Rusinov (YSR) states inside the superconducting energy gap. Our results open new avenues for creating atomic-scale Josephson diodes and tuning their properties through single-atom manipulation. |
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