Quantitative test of a quantum theory for the resistive transition in a superconducting single-walled carbon nanotube bundle

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that the resistive transition in a superconducting single-walled carbon nanotube bundle aligns quantitatively with the LAMH theory, highlighting phase fluctuation effects in quasi-1D superconductors.

Contribution

It provides a quantitative test of the LAMH theory for resistive transitions in a specific quasi-1D superconductor, the carbon nanotube bundle.

Findings

Resistive transition matches LAMH theory predictions.

Transition below T*_c is proportional to an exponential function.

Barrier height has the same form as in LAMH theory.

Abstract

The phenomenon of superconductivity depends on the coherence of the phase of the superconducting order parameter. The resistive transition in quasi-one-dimensional (quasi-1D) superconductors is broad because of a large phase fluctuation. We show that the resistive transition of a superconducting single-walled carbon nanotube bundle is in quantitative agreement with the Langer-Ambegaokar-McCumber-Halperin (LAMH) theory. We also demonstrate that the resistive transition below T^*_c = 0.89T_c0 is simply proportional to exp [-(3\beta T^*_c/T)(1-T/T^*_c)^3/2], where the barrier height has the same form as that predicted by the LAMH theory and T_c0 is the mean field superconducting transition temperature.