Towards measurement of the coupling between 2D superconducting order and spatial curvature

Two-dimensional superconductors couple nontrivially to spatial curvature. An elementary example is the centrifugal force required to support the flow of a supercurrent in curved space; a more subtle example is the predicted repulsion of superconducting vortices from curvature [1]. Silicon Nitride (SiN) membranes have sufficient force sensitivity to detect these effects [2]. However, transduction of these signals is a challenge: optomechanical coupling may destroy the fragile state under study, and microwave cavities are not robust to the perpendicular magnetic field required to study the behavior of vortices. We report an all-electric, cavity-free method to accurately transduce mechanical motion and present projections on superconductor coupling to strain in two-dimensional materials.

References:

[1] Turner AM, Vitelli V, Nelson DR. Vortices on curved surfaces. Rev. Mod. Phys. 2010, 82(2), 1301-48.

[2] Aspelmeyer, M.; Kippenberg, T. J.; Marquardt, F. Cavity optomechanics. Rev. Mod. Phys. 2014, 86, 1391–1452.