Effect of the electromagnetic environment on the Coulomb blockade in ultrasmall tunnel junctions

M. H. Devoret, D. Esteve, H. Grabert, G.-L. Ingold, H. Pothier, and C. Urbina
Phys. Rev. Lett. 64, 1824 – Published 9 April 1990
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Abstract

The current-voltage characteristic of an ultrasmall tunnel junction is calculated for arbitrary frequency dependence of the impedance presented to the junction by its electromagnetic environment. It is shown that the Coulomb blockade of tunneling is washed out by quantum fluctuations of the charge on the junction capacitor except for ultrahigh impedance environments. Two simple cases where the environment can be treated as an inductor or resistor are examined in detail. Effects of finite temperatures are discussed.

  • Received 4 December 1989

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.64.1824

©1990 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

M. H. Devoret and D. Esteve

  • Service de Physique du Solide et de Résonance Magnétique, Centre d’Études Nucléaires de Saclay, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France

H. Grabert and G.-L. Ingold

  • Fachbereich Physik, Universität-GHS Essen, 4300 Essen, Federal Republic of Germany

H. Pothier and C. Urbina

  • Service de Physique du Solide et de Résonance Magnétique, Centre d’ Études Nucléaires de Saclay, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France

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Vol. 64, Iss. 15 — 9 April 1990

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