Abstract
We propose a mesoscopic setup which exhibits strong and manifestly non-Gaussian fluctuations of energy and temperature when suitably driven out of equilibrium. The setup consists of a normal metal island (N) coupled by tunnel junctions (I) to two superconducting leads (S), forming a SINIS structure, and is biased near the threshold voltage for quasiparticle tunneling, . The fluctuations can be measured by monitoring the time-dependent electric current through the system. This makes the setup suitable for the realization of feedback schemes which can be used to stabilize the temperature to the desired value.
- Received 1 November 2011
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.067002
© 2012 American Physical Society