Fluxon Controlled Resistance Switching in Centimeter-Long Superconducting Galium-Indium Eutectic Nanowires*

We observe unexpected hysteretic behavior in centimeter long quasi 1D nanowires of Ga-In eutectic in transport measurements in the presence of a magnetic field. In particular, in some parts of the phase diagram, the system can exist in one of two stable states with different resistances. We propose that the nonzero resistance occurs when a spontaneously nucleated Ga droplet along the length of the nanowire traps a superconducting fluxon and, thereby, triggers phase slips in a nearby Ga droplet. The Ga-In nanowires thus provide a platform wherein the resistance can be switched on and off by the addition of a single fluxon. The presence of pure Ga droplets in the Ga-In nanowire was confirmed by X-ray flourescence studies conducted in Advanced Photon Source. The long length of the nanowire increases the probability of a wire containing two nearby droplets.