Single Fluxon Controlled Resistance Switching

A single superconducting flux quantum or “fluxon" Φ0 with magnetic moment “↑” can be exploited to switch the resistance of a nanowire between two discrete values, with potential long-term application

in creating new switching devices. The MRSEC team has produced extraordinarily long nanowires of superconducting Ga-In eutectic – centimeters in length – who extreme length assists in the formation

of spontaneous Ga nanodroplets along the length of the nanowire with the right geometry to capture magnetic flux. Fluxons can be inserted or flipped by careful manipulation of magnetic field or temperature, to produce many metastable states each with different electron transport properties.