- Accepted Paper
Giant nonlinearity of the kinetic inductance in a superconducting hybrid strip
Phys. Rev. Applied - Accepted 8 October, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/1g8k-dfn7
Phys. Rev. Applied - Accepted 8 October, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/1g8k-dfn7
We demonstrate giant nonlinearity of the kinetic inductance Lk in a superconducting NbN/Al hybrid strip. In contrast to ordinary superconductors, where the maximum observed current-induced variation of Lk does not exceed tens of percent, we observe a 50-fold change in Lk. Physically, this effect is connected with the proximity-induced superconductivity in the Al layer and the specific choice of parameters for which the dependence of the superconducting current I on the Cooper pair momentum ℏq exhibits a plateau at a current I* well below the depairing current. Formally, this leads to Lk ∼ dq/dI →∞ as I → I*. We believe that our results open a new route for creating the next generation of highly sensitive detectors of electromagnetic radiation, calorimeters, parametric amplifiers, and magnetometers.
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