Local and global properties of quasi-one-dimensional superconductor governed by quantum fluctuations of order parameter

Utilization of superconducting materials for the new generation of nanoelectronic devices seems extremely tempting from the point of view of the absence of Joule heating. However, in small systems, the role of fluctuations can be very significant. In this work, the transport properties of thin superconducting titanium nanostructures were studied experimentally and theoretically. It has been shown that quantum fluctuations of the order parameter have a dif-ferent impact on integral and local characteristics of a quasi-one-dimensional superconductor. In sufficiently thin nanowires, a finite electrical resistance can be observed at the lowest tem-peratures, while the tunneling current-voltage characteristics exhibit only slightly broadened gap singularity and a finite Josephson current. The observation is of fundamental importance for understanding the phenomenon of mesoscopic superconductivity and should be taken into account when designing nanometer scale cryoelectronic devices.