Metal-Insulator Transition in a System of Superconducting Vortices Caused by a Metallic Gate

TL;DR

This paper explains a recent experiment showing a resistance decrease in superconducting films with a nearby metallic gate, attributing it to vortex tunneling suppression caused by electron orthogonality catastrophe, leading to a vortex system metal-insulator transition.

Contribution

It provides a theoretical explanation for the gate-induced resistance change in superconducting films, linking vortex dynamics to electron orthogonality effects.

Findings

Resistance decreases with the gate presence

Vortex tunneling is suppressed by orthogonality catastrophe

Induces a metal-insulator transition in vortex system

Abstract

We address a recent experiment in which a strong decrease of the resistance of a superconducting film has been observed when a remote unbiased gate was placed above the film. Here we explain the experimental finding as a suppression of the vortex tunneling due to the Orthogonality Catastrophe of the electrons inside the gate. We interpret the change in the resistance of the film as a "metal-insulator" transition in the system of vortices induced by the gate.