Current-Induced Superconductor-Insulator Transition in Granular High-T_c Superconductors

TL;DR

This study investigates how electrical current influences the superconductor-insulator transition in granular high-T_c superconductors, revealing a current-driven quantum phase transition similar to magnetic-field-induced transitions.

Contribution

It demonstrates that electrical current can induce a superconductor-insulator transition in granular high-T_c superconductors, expanding understanding of quantum phase transitions in these materials.

Findings

Current induces superconductor-insulator transition (SIT) in granular high-T_c superconductors.

The current-induced SIT is analogous to magnetic-field-tuned SIT.

Results suggest a dynamical counterpart to magnetic-field-driven SIT.

Abstract

In this work we report a systematic study of electrical current effects on superconducting properties of granular Y$_{1-x}$Pr$_{x}$Ba$_{2}$Cu$_{3}$O$_{7-\delta}$ samples with x close to the critical Pr concentration above which the superconductivity vanishes. The results indicate the occurrence of superconductor-insulator quantum phase transition (SIT) driven by the applied electrical current, and suggest that the current-induced SIT can be considered as the dynamical counterpart of the magnetic-field- tuned SIT.