Non-stationary Josephson tunneling involving superconductors with spin-density waves

The non-stationary Josephson I-1, interference I-2, and quasiparticle J cur rent amplitudes through symmetrical and non-symmetrical (ns) tunnel junctio ns involving partially dielectrized (partially gapped) superconductors with spin-density waves (SDWs) and described by the dielectric order parameter Sigma and the superconducting order parameter Delta, were calculated. It wa s shown that each current for symmetrical junctions, made up of thermodynam ically identical SDW superconductors (with \Sigma(left)\ = \Sigma(right)\), can exhibit three possible current-voltage characteristics (CVCs) dependin g on the relationship between the electrodes' Sigma signs in the course of experiment: (i) one symmetrical CVC for genuinely symmetrical configuration (s) when the dielectric order parameters Sigma(left) and Sigma(right) have the same sign for both electrodes and (ii) two non-symmetrical ones for sy mmetrical junction in the state of broken symmetry (bs) when Sigma(left) an d Sigma(right) are opposite in sign. The actual setup choice is at random. Thus, the symmetrical junctions can serve as phase-sensitive indicators for the SDWs. The positions of some different-type peculiarities coinside in p airs, the resulting CVCs having very complicated and unusual forms. For ns- junctions which include SDW and ordinary BCS superconductors, the current a mplitudes I-ns(1,2) and J(ns) are asymmetrical functions of the voltage V a nd depend on the sign of Sigma. Calculations reveal main features appropria te to CVCs of tunnel junctions involving the heavy-fermion SDW superconduct or URu2Si2. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.