Dynamic Vortex-Mott Transition in 2D Superconducting Proximity Arrays

Abstract: The paradigmatic Mott insulator arises in strongly correlated systems, where strong local repulsion localizes interacting particles in underlying egg-holder-like potential. The corresponding Mott transition reflects delocalization of the charges either by varying parameters of the system and temperature, or by applied current, the latter being referred to as the dynamic Mott transition. Recently, the dynamic Mott transition was experimentally observed on the vortex system trapped by the periodic proximity array and described in terms of non-Hermitian theory of nonequilibrium processes. Here we investigate numerically the vortex dynamic Mott transition in an proximity array implemented as an array of holes in a superconducting films and discover striking nonmonotonic behavior of the differential resistance as function of the applied current when deviating from the matching field corresponding to a unity filling factor.