Extended Domain of Existence for PSCs in Superconductors

Abstract

By means of nanosecond pulse techniques, we have studied the current-induced dissipation in one-dimensional superconducting bridges, namely, metallic and high-T c films. It is well known that narrow strips dissipate through phase-slip centers (PSC) close to T c , or hot spots (HS) at low T, rather than by flux flow. When driven by step pulses of current, PSC give stable voltages, while HS produce a voltage linearly changing with time. By using two-step pulses of current, we have studied the decay of a HS into another HS, or a PSC, or into a zero-resistance state. It was thus found possible to reach the PSC state at arbitrary low temperatures.