Mechano-electronic and electro-mechanical energy transfer in mesoscopic superconducting weak links

Review article, 2012

In this review we discuss how the nano-electro-mechanical properties of a superconducting weak link, formed by a suspended nanowire bridging two superconductors, can strongly affect mesoscopic effects in both the electronic and the mechanical subsystem. In particular we will discuss how quantum coherence and electron–electron (Coulomb) correlations may result in the possibility to resonantly redistribute energy between the electronic and mechanical degrees of freedom, allowing controllable switching between pumping and cooling of the nano-mechanical vibrations of the suspended nanowire. The two regimes of a given current and a given voltage supplied to the nano-electro-mechanical weak link is considered, resulting respectively in the possibility of ground-state cooling or resonant generation of nano-mechanical vibrations for realistic experimental parameters.