Current-Induced Chiral Phase Transition in a Josephson-Junction Array

Abstract

It is predicted that the fully frustrated Josephson-junction array on a square lattice with alternating columns of junctions having a reduced critical current $I_{weak}=μI_{0}$(with $μ<1$ and $I_{0}$ the critical current of all other junctions) in certain range of $μ$ will under increasing of the external current first change from the state with zero chirality to the state with nonzero one at the lower critical current $I_{c1}$ before entering nonsuperconducting state at the upper critical current $I_{c2}$.