Quantum Phases of a Weakly Disordered Josephson Ladder

TL;DR

This paper investigates how weak disorder affects the quantum phases of a one-dimensional Josephson ladder with strong quantum fluctuations, revealing multiple phases including a novel disordered phase with coexisting superconducting and charge-ordered rungs.

Contribution

It introduces a perturbative RG analysis of a disordered Josephson ladder respecting $ ext{Z}_2$ symmetry, identifying new intermediate phases between superconductor and insulator states.

Findings

Identification of an intermediate phase with a gapless superconductor and charge order.

Discovery of a disordered phase with coexisting superconducting and charge-ordered rungs.

Potential connection to Griffith's phase in the strong disorder limit.

Abstract

The interplay of interactions and disorder in low-dimensional superconductors supports the formation of multiple quantum phases, as possible instabilities of the Superconductor-Insulator Transition (SIT) at a singular quantum critical point. We explore a one-dimensional model which exhibits such variety of phases in the strongly quantum fluctuations regime. Specifically, we study the effect of weak disorder on a two-leg Josephson ladder with comparable Josephson and charging energies ($E_J$~$E_C$). An additional key feature of our model is the requirement of perfect $\mathbb{Z}_2$-symmetry, respected by all parameters including the disorder. Using a perturbative renormalization-group (RG) analysis, we derive the phase diagram and identify at least one intermediate phase between a full-fledged superconductor and a disorder-dominated insulator. Most prominently, for repulsive interactions on the rungs we identify two distinct mixed phases: in both of them the longitudinal charge mode is a gapless superconductor, however one phase exhibits a dipolar charge density order on the rungs, while the other is disordered. This latter phase is characterized by coexisting superconducting (phase-locked) and charge-ordered rungs, and encompasses the potential of evolving into a Griffith's phase characteristic of the random-field Ising model in the strong disorder limit.