Shot noise of large charge quanta in superconductor/semiconductor/superconductor junctions

Abstract

We have found experimentally that the noise of ballistic electron transport in a superconductor/semiconductor/superconductor junction is enhanced relative to the value given by the general relation, S_V=2eIR^2coth(eV/2kT), for two voltage regions in which this expression reduces to its thermal and shot noise limits. The noise enhancement is explained by the presence of large charge quanta, with effective charge q*=(1+2Delta/eV)e, that generate a noise spectrum S_V=2q*IR^2, as predicted in Phys. Rev. Lett. 76, 3814 (1996). These charge quanta result from multiple Andreev reflections at each junction interface, which are also responsible for the subharmonic gap structure observed in the voltage dependence of the junction's conductance.