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arXiv · 2508.11629

The superconducting diode effect in Josephson junctions fabricated from structurally chiral Mo$_3$Al$_2$C

Peter T. Orban·Gregory Bassen·Evan N. Crites·Takumi Matsuo·Maxime A. Siegler·Tyrel M. McQueen
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Abstract

The superconducting diode effect occurs in superconducting materials in which both spin and inversion symmetry are broken. The recently observed chirality-induced spin selectivity effect demonstrates that chiral materials break both symmetries. Thus a Josephson junction interface with the left-handed structure on one side of the junction and the right-handed structure on the other should exhibit a diode effect. Here, we report the electrical transport properties of right-handed/left-handed and right-handed/right-handed devices fabricated from single crystals of the structurally chiral superconductor Mo$_3$Al$_2$C. Fraunhofer-like magnetic diffraction patterns confirm the presence of Josephson effect in all but one of our devices. A magnetic field-induced superconducting diode effect is demonstrated in the right-handed/left-handed devices by a statistically significant difference in $I_{c+}$ and $I_{c-}$, with a maximum asymmetry of 5\%. The intrinsic superconducting diode effect is not observed in the right-handed/right-handed devices. We provide an explanation for the presence of the superconducting diode effect in the right-handed/left-handed devices.

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Peter T. Orban, Gregory Bassen, Evan N. Crites, Takumi Matsuo, Maxime A. Siegler, Tyrel M. McQueen. 2025-08-15. The superconducting diode effect in Josephson junctions fabricated from structurally chiral Mo$_3$Al$_2$C. https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.11629

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