Abstract
We propose a cyclic refrigeration principle based on mesoscopic electron transport. Synchronous sequential tunneling of electrons in a Coulomb-blockaded device, a normal metal-superconductor single-electron box, results in a cooling power of at temperature over a wide range of cycle frequencies . Electrostatic work, done by the gate voltage source, removes heat from the Coulomb island with an efficiency of , where is the superconducting gap parameter. The performance is not affected significantly by nonidealities, for instance by offset charges. We propose ways of characterizing the system and of its practical implementation.
- Received 3 August 2006
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.98.037201
©2007 American Physical Society