Anti-proximity Effect in Aluminum Nanowires

TL;DR

This paper confirms the anti-proximity effect in aluminum nanowires, showing that superconductivity is suppressed when contacted by bulk superconductors, independent of magnetic field influence.

Contribution

It provides experimental evidence of the anti-proximity effect in single-crystal aluminum nanowires, expanding understanding beyond previous zinc nanowire studies.

Findings

Critical current is lower with superconducting electrodes than with normal electrodes.

The anti-proximity effect occurs independently of external magnetic fields.

Superconductivity suppression is observed in aluminum nanowires due to electrode contact.

Abstract

The anti-proximity effect, where the superconductivity in superconducting nanowires is suppressed or weakened when contacted by bulk superconducting electrodes, first revealed in arrays of Zn nanowires by tuning the electrodes from the superconducting to the normal state by means of an external magnetic field, has been confirmed in single crystal Aluminum nanowires. The critical current at zero magnetic field of an individual aluminum nanowire contacted by superconducting electrodes was found to be significantly smaller than that with normal electrodes showing that the effect is not a consequence of the magnetic field.