Response time of a normal-metal/superconductor hybrid system under a step-like pulse bias

Abstract

The response of a quantum dot coupled with one normal lead and a superconductor lead driven by a step-like pulse bias $V_L$ is studied using the non-equilibrium Green function method. In the linear pulse bias regime, the responses of the upwards and downwards bias are symmetric. In this regime the turn-on time and turn-off time are much slower than that of the normal system due to the Andreev reflection. On the other hand, for the large pulse bias $V_L$, the instantaneous current exhibits oscillatory behaviors with the frequency $\hbar\Omega =qV_L$. The turn on/off times are in (or shorter than) the scale of $1/V_L$, so they are faster for the larger bias $V_L$. In addition, the responses for the upwards and downwards bias are asymmetric at large $V_L$. The turn-on time is larger than the turn-off time but the relaxation time \cite{note1} depends only on the coupling strength $\Gamma$ and it is much smaller than the turn-on/off times for the large bias $V_L$.