References & Citations
Condensed Matter > Mesoscopic Systems and Quantum Hall Effect
Title: Measurement of coherent charge transfer in an adiabatic Cooper pair pump
(Submitted on 19 Feb 2003)
Abstract: We study adiabatic charge transfer in a superconducting Cooper pair pump, focusing on the influence of current measurement on coherence. We investigate the limit where the Josephson coupling energy $E_J$ between the various parts of the system is small compared to the Coulomb charging energy $E_C$. In this case the charge transferred in a pumping cycle $Q_P \sim 2e$, the charge of one Cooper pair: the main contribution is due to incoherent Cooper pair tunneling. We are particularly interested in the quantum correction to $Q_P$, which is due to coherent tunneling of pairs across the pump and which depends on the superconducting phase difference $\phi_0$ between the electrodes: $1-Q_P/(2e) \sim (E_J/E_C) \cos \phi_0$. A measurement of $Q_P$ tends to destroy the phase coherence. We first study an arbitrary measuring circuit and then specific examples and show that coherent Cooper pair transfer can in principle be detected using an inductively shunted ammeter.