Abstract
In a thin-film superconducting bridge a stable temperature structure (hotspot) can be generated by means of dissipation of Joule energy. This stable dissipative structure results from the S-shaped character of the resistance-temperature curve. The analogy between the generation of this temperature structure and a nonequilibrium phase transition is pointed out. By identifying the sample current in proper normalization with the control parameter and the sample voltage with the order parameter, a description is given in terms of the Landau theory of phase transitions. These concepts are supported by the experimental observation of critical slowing down and of the divergence of the response function near the critical point. The experiments were performed usingO 2-doped tin films on sapphire substrates.
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Freytag, L., Huebener, R.P. Temperature structures in a superconductor as a nonequilibrium phase transition. J Low Temp Phys 60, 377–393 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00681663
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00681663