Phase relations in superconductor-normal metal-superconductor tunnel junctions

Abstract

The phase difference $ϕ$, between the superconducting terminals in superconductor-normal metal-superconductor tunnel junctions (SINIS), incorporates the phase differences $χ_{1,2}$ across thin interfaces of constituent $SIN$ junctions and the phase incursion $φ$ between the side faces of the central electrode of length $L$. It is demonstrated here that $χ_{1,2}$ pass through over their proximity-reduced domain twice, there and back, while $ϕ$ changes over the single period. Two corresponding solutions, that describe the double-valued order-parameter dependence on $χ_{1,2}$, jointly form the single-valued dependence on $ϕ$, operating in two adjoining regions of $ϕ$. The phase incursion $φ$ plays a crucial role in creating such a behavior. The current-phase relation $j(ϕ,L)$ is composed of the two solutions and, at a fixed small $L$, is characterized by the phase-dependent effective transmission coefficient.