Quasi-particle transport in narrow superconducting wires with superconductor/insulator/normal tunnel junctions

Abstract

We have studied the low temperature quasi-particle charge transport in a narrow superconducting metal wire by generating an imbalance of charge density in the quasi-particle system and detecting the transferred imbalance from an excess current in small S/I/N junctions. From the measured spatial distribution of the charge imbalance, it is shown that the charge imbalance is transferred in the wire by diffusion.