Josephson systems based on ballistic point contacts between single-band and multi-band superconductors

Abstract

The Josephson effect in ballistic point contacts between single-band and multi-band superconductors was investigated. It was found that in the case of Josephson junctions formed by a single-band and an $s_\pm$-wave two-band superconductor as well as by a single-band and a three-band superconductor the junctions become frustrated, demonstrating the $\phi$-contact properties. Depending on the ground state of a three-band superconductor with broken time-reversal symmetry (BTRS), the Josephson junction can have from one to three energy minima, some of which can be locally stable. We also study the behavior of a dc SQUID based on the Josephson junctions between single-band and multi-band superconductors. Some features on the dependences of the critical current and the total magnetic flux on the applied flux of a dc SQUID based on the Josephson point contacts between a single-band superconductor and an $s_\pm$-wave superconductor, three-band superconductor with BTRS and three-band superconductor without BTRS as compared to the conventional dc SQUIDs based on single-band superconductors were found. The results can be used as an experimental tool to detect the existence of multi-band structure and BTRS.