Quantization of diamagnetic current in a superconducting ring with the Josephson point contact

Abstract

It was established experimentally that a critical value of the diamagnetic current, excited by an external magnetic field in a superconducting ring (with an inductance of about ~ 10^-6 H) with a Nb-Nb clamping point contact having the Josephson contact properties is a strictly periodic function of field strength, despite the complex microstructure of the clamping contact. The reasons of the periodic dependence are discussed on a basis of the interference model of diamagnetic current and quantized values of the circulating current in the microinterferometer formed by the clamping contact.