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  • Open Access

Intrinsic nonreciprocity in asymmetric Josephson junctions with non-sinusoidal current-phase relations

R. A. Hovhannisyan*

  • *Contact author: razmik.hovhannisyan@fysik.su.se
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Phys. Rev. Research 7, 023279 – Published 18 June, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/v41v-1qjw

Abstract

Josephson junctions (JJs) with nonsinusoidal current-phase relations (CPRs) have gathered increasing attention, partly due to growing interest in topological two-dimensional materials. Understanding how CPRs and inhomogeneities in JJs influence their response is crucial for accurate interpretation of experimental observations. This work reports that a nonsinusoidal CPR, combined with asymmetries in the JJ, can break spatial symmetry and give rise to the Josephson diode effect (JDE) in the short-junction regime. This nonreciprocity is shown to emerge as an intrinsic mechanism related to the maximization of the supercurrent, rather than being solely driven by geometric or material asymmetries. Further analysis shows that JDE efficiency is strongly influenced by the CPR shape but is largely insensitive to junction asymmetry, making the observed nonreciprocity not only a potential experimental signature of unconventional CPRs but also a possible method for probing their properties.

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Phys. Rev. Research 7, 023279– Published 18 June, 2025
  • Received 30 March 2025
  • Accepted 4 June 2025
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI. Funded by Bibsam.

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