Limitations in Cooling Electrons using Normal-Metal-Superconductor Tunnel Junctions

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© 2004 American Physical Society (APS). http://www.aps.org/

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Volume Title

School of Science | A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä

Date

2004

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Mcode

Degree programme

Language

en

Pages

056804/1-4

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Physical Review Letters, Volume 92, Issue 5

Abstract

We demonstrate both theoretically and experimentally two limiting factors in cooling electrons using biased tunnel junctions to extract heat from a normal metal into a superconductor. First, when the injection rate of electrons exceeds the internal relaxation rate in the metal to be cooled, the electrons do not obey the Fermi-Dirac distribution, and the concept of temperature cannot be applied as such. Second, at low bath temperatures, states within the gap induce anomalous heating and yield a theoretical limit of the achievable minimum temperature.

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Keywords

cooling electrons, tunnel junctions, superconductors

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Citation

Pekola, Jukka & Heikkilä, T. T. & Savin, A. M. & Flyktman, J. T. & Giazotto, F. & Hekking, F. W. J. 2004. Limitations in Cooling Electrons using Normal-Metal-Superconductor Tunnel Junctions. Physical Review Letters. Volume 92, Issue 5. P. 056804/1-4. ISSN 0031-9007 (printed). DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.92.056804.