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Magnetic field-bias current interplay in HgTe-based three-terminal Josephson junctions
by J. Thieme, W. Himmler, F. Dominguez, G. Platero, N. Hüttner, S. Hartl, E. Richter, D. A. Kozlov, N. N. Mikhailov, S. A. Dvoretsky, D. Weiss
Submission summary
| Authors (as registered SciPost users): | Josua Thieme |
| Submission information | |
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| Preprint Link: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.12328v2 (pdf) |
| Code repository: | https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18184428 |
| Data repository: | https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18184428 |
| Date submitted: | Jan. 12, 2026, 3:48 p.m. |
| Submitted by: | Josua Thieme |
| Submitted to: | SciPost Physics |
| Ontological classification | |
|---|---|
| Academic field: | Physics |
| Specialties: |
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| Approaches: | Theoretical, Experimental |
Abstract
We investigate HgTe/Nb-based three-terminal Josephson junctions in T-shaped and X-shaped geometries and their critical current contours (CCCs). By decomposing the CCCs into the contributions from individual junctions, we uncover how bias current and magnetic field jointly determine the collective Josephson behavior. A perpendicular magnetic field induces a tunable crossover between SQUID-like and Fraunhofer-like interference patterns, controlled by the applied bias. Moreover, magnetic flux produces pronounced deformations of the CCC, enabling symmetry control in the $(I_1,I_2)$ plane. Remarkably, we identify a regime of strongly enhanced Josephson diode efficiency, reaching values up to $η\approx 0.8$ at low bias and magnetic field. The experimental results are quantitatively reproduced by resistively shunted junction (RSJ) simulations, which capture the coupled dynamics of current and flux in these multi-terminal superconducting systems.
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