Using Josephson junctions to control the flow of a supercurrent

(Nanowerk News) RIKEN physicists have created a superconducting diode—a device that allows a supercurrent to flow in one direction but not the other (Nature Physics, “Scanning electron microscopy image of the device, which uses two Josephson junctions to control the supercurrent flowing through one to the other”). While not the first time that such a device has been realized, this demonstration presents a new method for achieving it. Superconductors, which allow electrical currents to flow without resistance, hold out exciting possibilities for electronics….