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# Untitled Document

WIMP STARS AS DARK MATTER IN THE UNIVERSE
K.M.V.Apparao
34,Vibha, R.P.Road, Bandra East,
Mumbai 400051, India.

It is suggested that the dark matter in the Universe may be made of stars and black holes made up of WIMP matter.

The existence of ”dark matter” in the Universe is by now established1. Brown Dwarfs, Black Holes, neutrinos, weakly interacting massive particles (WIMP) and other Super Symmetric particles have been suggested as candidates for dark matter1. So far the nature of the dark matter is not known. It is generally assumed that if dark matter is made up of particles, it exists as diffuse matter. It is likely, however, that primordial dark matter also condenses due to gravitaional force. Here we consider the possibility that dark matter exists in the form of WIMP stars.

Primordial WIMP matter, which is presumably intermixed with baryonic matter, should also condense along with baryonic matter due to gravitational force. Starting with density fluctuations, the intermixed material should condense to form proto-galaxies, When galaxies are formed from the proto-galaxies, in order to condense, the baryonic matter gets rid of its angular momentum via various viscosities. The WIMP matter, however will find it hard to get rid of the angular momentum due to its weak interaction. This may result in the WIMP matter getting separated from the baryonic matter, and will stay in the outer regions of galaxies. The WIMP matter then may further condense into WIMP stars.

The formation of neutrino stars has been suggested 2. The Chandrasekhar limit for such stars is given as2,

$$M_s=1.016\times 10^{10}M_{}\left(\frac{17.2keV}{m_\nu c^2}\right)^2g^{1/2}\mathrm{}\mathrm{}\mathrm{}\mathrm{}..\left(1\right)$$

where M is the mass of the sun, mν is the mass of the neutrino, c is the velocity of light and g the degeneracy factor. This corresponds to a Schwarzschild radius of

$$R_s=1.16\left(\frac{17.2keV}{m_\nu c^2}\right)^2g^{1/2}\mathrm{}\mathrm{}\mathrm{}\mathrm{}\mathrm{}\mathrm{}.\left(2\right)$$

where Rs is given in light days. The radius of the neutrino star is given by,

$$R_0=6.8631\left(\frac{M_{}}{M_S}\right)^{1/3}g^{2/3}\left(\frac{17.2keV}{m_\nu c^2}\right)^{8/3}\mathrm{}\mathrm{}\mathrm{}\mathrm{}\mathrm{}.\left(3\right)$$

where R0 is given in light years. The neutrino stars are suggested to be at the centres of galaxies2.

The above equations should also hold for stars made of the weakly interacting WIMP particles. The mass of a WIMP is pedicted to be in the range of 10- 1000 GeV 3,4. The mass limit for a WIMP star, if the mass of the WIMP is taken as 10 GeV, using (3) is Mw$``$3$`\times `$10-2M. The radius of a WIMP star at the mass limit, using (2), is Rw=8.9 $`\times `$103 cm, while the Schwarzschild radius is Rs=2.8$`\times `$ 103 cm. Since Rw is greater than Rs, the star can be stable. The denisty of such stars is $`\rho `$w$``$2$`\times `$1019 gm cm-3. At such densities even with weak interaction cross-sections, WIMPs will annihilate if they are Majorana particles. Even if they are Dirac particles, WIMPs and anti-WIMPs cannot coexist at such high densities. One has to assume that they are made up of only one kind of WIMPs, by appealing to processes similar to those that separated baryonic matter and anti-matter, or processes which resulted in only one kind of baryonic matter in the Universe.

It was mentioned earlier that WIMP matter, while condensing, may find it difficult to get rid of its angular momentum. It is therefore possible that WIMP stars with masses greater than the limit given above may exist as ellipsoidal stars or disks. If the mass of the WIMP condensate exceeds the limit given above, it may also form a WIMP black hole.

Attempts have been made to detect compact objects that make up the dark matter in the halo of our galaxy5,6. In these attempts, gravitaional lensing of the stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud by compact objects that make up the dark matter in the galactic halo (MACHO) was detected. The conclusion of these studies is that such objects make up a small fraction of the dark matter required in the halo. The Large Magellanic Cloud is at a high galactic latitude, and if the compact objects like WIMP stars are located closer to the galactic plane, as are normal stars, and in the outer regions (due to angular momentum considerations suggested earlier), the observations cited above5,6 may not detect them. Observations using lensing of supernova in external galaxies7 may be able to detect WIMP stars.

It will be interesting to study accretion of gas on to WIMP stars. If one of them is captured by an ordinary star to form a close binary, then such accretion is possible. It may allow identification of WIMP stars or WIMP black holes.

In conclusion, dark matter in the Universe may exist in the form of WIMP stars and WIMP black holes.

References

1. V. Trimble ,Ann.Rev.Astron.Astrophys.,25,425-472, 1987.
2. R.D.Vollier, D.Trautmann and Tupper G.B.,Phys.Lett.,B306,79-85,1993.
3. D.E.Groom et al., Review of Particle Physics, Eur.Phys. J.,C15,1-873, 2000. 4. L.Krauss,Quintessence,Basic Books, New York, 2000.
5. C.Alcock et al.,Ap.J.,542,281-307, 2000.
6. T.Lasserre et al.,Astron.Astrophys.,355,L39, 2000.
7. E.Mortsell, A.Goodbar and L.Bergstrom, Ap.J.,559,53-58, 2001.


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# Deformation-induced thermomagnetic effects in a twisted weak-link-bearing superconductor

## Abstract

Based upon the recently introduced thermophase and piezophase mesoscopic quantum effects in Josephson junctions, several novel phenomena in a twisted superconductor (containing a small annular $`SIS`$-type contact) under influence of thermal gradient and applied magnetic field are predicted. Namely, we consider a torsional analog of Josephson piezomagnetism (and related magnetomechanical effect) as well as a possible generation of a heat flux induced magnetic moment in a weakly-coupled superconductor under a torsional deformation (analog of Zavaritskii effect) along with the concomitant phenomena of piezothermopower and piezothermal conductivity. The conditions under which the predicted effects can be experimentally measured in conventional superconductors and nanostructured materials with implanted Josephson contacts are discussed.

In 1972 Zavaritskii  observed for the first time a very interesting phenomenon (the so-called deformation-induced thermomagnetic effect): appearance of a heat flux $`Q`$ induced magnetic field $`\mathrm{\Delta }H=H_q(\alpha )Q`$ in rod-like tin samples (both in the normal and superconducting state) under a torsional deformation $``$ (related to a torsional angle $`\alpha ()=/C_0`$, where $`C_0`$ is a respective elastic modulus of the material). Quite a tangible value of $`\mathrm{\Delta }H`$ was registered under the maximum load of $`=0.2N/m`$ (which corresponds to $`\alpha =0.01rad/cm`$). This phenomenon was attributed to generation of circular (non-potential) currents in a deformed sample (which in turn lead to observable magnetic moments, see Ref.2 for discussion) and further investigated by Lebedev  on the basis of the kinetic theory.

At the same time, in response to fast growing interest to important applications of Josephson and proximity effects in novel mesoscopic quantum devices (such as, e.g., quantum computers), a substantial progress has been made recently in measuring of (and manipulating with) extremely small magnetic fields, thermal gradients and mechanical deformations .

Based upon the recently introduced thermophase  and piezophase  effects (suggesting, respectively, a direct influence of a thermal gradient and an applied stress on phase difference through a Josephson junction), in this Letter we discuss an analog of the above-mentioned Zavaritskii effect in a twisted superconductor containing a single $`SIS`$-type contact and its possible realization in conventional superconductors. Besides, we also consider the concomitant phenomena of Josephson piezomagnetism and magnetomechanical effect as well as the change of transport properties of $`SIS`$-type junction under torsional deformation (piezothermopower and piezothermal conductivity).

The model. To follow the original paper of Zavaritskii  as close as possible, let us consider a tin rod (of length $`L`$ and radius $`R`$) with an anular $`SnSnOSn`$ contact  incorporated into the middle of the rod (due to a high pliability of tin, it should be quite easy to achieve), with a thin insulating $`SnO`$ layer (of thickness $`l`$). Assuming a usual cylindrical geometry (with $`z`$-axis taken along the rod’s length and $`A=\pi R^2`$ being the junction area), we can present the total Josephson energy on the contact as follows (for the sake of simplicity, in this paper we shall concentrate on zero-temperature effects only and will ignore the role of Coulomb interaction effects assuming that the grain’s charging energy $`E_cE_J`$, where $`E_c=e^2/2C_J`$, with $`C_J`$ being the capacitance of the junction):

$$E_J=_0^\tau \frac{dt}{\tau }_R^R\frac{dx}{A}_{\sqrt{R^2x^2}}^{\sqrt{R^2x^2}}𝑑y_0^L\frac{dz}{L}[(\stackrel{}{x},t)]$$
(1)
where the local Josephson energy is given by

$$(\stackrel{}{x},t)=J\left[1\mathrm{cos}\varphi (\stackrel{}{x},t)\right]$$
(2)
with the resulting phase difference

$$\varphi (\stackrel{}{x},t)=\varphi _0+\frac{2\pi dBx}{\mathrm{\Phi }_0}+\alpha ()z+\frac{2\pi S_0T\stackrel{}{x}}{\mathrm{\Phi }_0}t$$
(3)
accounting for the change of the initial phase difference $`\varphi _0`$ under the influence of an applied magnetic field $`\stackrel{}{B}=(0,B,0)`$, thermal gradient $`T=(_xT,0,_zT)`$ and applied torsional deformation $``$ (through the corresponding torsional angle $`\alpha ()`$) taken along $`z`$-axis. Here $`\mathrm{\Phi }_0=h/2e`$ is the quantum of flux with $`h`$ Planck’s constant and $`e`$ the electronic charge, $`d=2\lambda _L+l`$ is the junction size with $`\lambda _L`$ being the London penetration length, $`\tau `$ is a characteristic Josephson time , $`J`$ is the Josephson coupling energy, and $`S_0`$ is the field-free thermoelectric power (Seebeck coefficient) on the junction.

The origin of the third term in Eq.(3) is quite obvious. Indeed, under the influence of an homogeneous torsional deformation $``$, the superconducting phase difference will change with $`z`$ as follows: $`d\varphi /dz=(d\varphi /d\theta )(d\theta /dz)=N\alpha ()`$ where  $`\alpha ()d\theta /dz=/C_0`$ is the corresponding torsional angle variable and $`Nd\varphi /d\theta `$ is a geometrical factor (in most cases  $`N1`$). As a result, the superconducting phase difference will acquire an additional contribution $`\delta \varphi (z)=\alpha ()z`$. (Notice that practically the same result can be obtained by using the arguments from Ref.9 and invoking an analogy with a conventional linear torsional piezoelectric effect which predicts  $`P()=a`$ for an induced electric polarization.)

To neglect the influence of the self-field effects and ensure a uniformity of the applied deformation $``$ (and the related torsional angle $`\theta (L)\alpha ()L`$), we have to assume that $`\lambda _J>R`$ and $`LR`$ where $`\lambda _J=\sqrt{\mathrm{\Phi }_0/2\pi d\mu _0j_c}`$ is the Josephson penetration depth with $`j_c`$ being Josephson critical current density. As we shall see below, these conditions can be reasonably well met experimentally.

Torsional piezomagnetic effect. Before turning to the main subject of this paper, let us briefly discuss the two preliminary issues: (i) deformation induced behavior of the Josephson current and (ii) torsional analog of Josephson piezomagnetism (which takes place in a twisted $`SIS`$-type contact and manifests itself through appearance of deformation-induced susceptibility) in the absence of thermal gradient through the junction ($`T=0`$). Recalling the definition of the Josephson current density $`j_s(\stackrel{}{x})=j_c\mathrm{sin}\varphi (\stackrel{}{x},0)`$, in this particular case Eq.(3) brings about

$$I_s(B,\theta )=2I_c\left[\frac{J_1(B/B_0)}{B/B_0}\right]\left(\frac{\mathrm{sin}\theta }{\theta }\right)$$
(4)
for the maximum (with $`\varphi _0=\pi /2`$) Josephson current in a twisted cylindrical contact (under a torsional deformation $``$ producing angle $`\theta =L/C_0`$) with $`I_c=j_cA=2eJ/\mathrm{}`$. Here $`B_0=\mathrm{\Phi }_0/2\pi dR`$ is a characteristic Josephson field of anular contact, and $`J_1(x)`$ is the Bessel function. Notice that as a function of torsional angle $`\theta `$, the induced current $`I_s(B,\theta )`$ follows a quasi-periodic Fraunhofer-like pattern and reduces to the well-known  result for the magnetic field dependence of an anular Josephson contact upon removal of mechanical load (in deformation-free case when $`\theta 0`$).

Moving on to the second issue, we find that in addition to the above-discussed angle-dependent Josephson current, in a twisted contact will appear an induced magnetic moment (torsional piezomagnetic effect)

$$M_s(B,\theta )\frac{1}{V}\left[\frac{E_J}{B}\right]_{T=0}$$
(5)
where $`V=AL`$ is a sample’s volume.

To capture the very essence of this effect, in what follows we assume for simplicity that an unloaded sample does not possess any spontaneous magnetization at zero magnetic field (that is $`M_s(0,0)=0`$) and that its Meissner response to a small applied field $`B`$ is purely diamagnetic (that is $`M_s(B,0)B`$). According to Eqs.(1)-(5), this condition implies $`\varphi _0=2\pi m`$ for the initial phase difference with $`m=0,\pm 1,\pm 2,..`$. As a result, we obtain for the change of magnetization under torsional deformation

$$M_s(B,\theta )=M_0f_1(B/B_0)g_0(\theta )$$
(6)
Here $`M_0=2J/VB_0`$, $`f_1(x)=\frac{d}{dx}[f_0(x)]`$ with $`f_0(x)=J_1(x)/x`$, and $`g_0(x)=\mathrm{sin}x/x`$.

For low-field (Meissner) region, we can linearize the above equation and define the deformation induced angle-dependent susceptibility $`\chi (\theta )`$. Indeed, for $`BB_0`$, Eq.(6) gives $`M_s(B,\theta )\chi (\theta )B`$ where $`\chi (\theta )=\chi _0g_0(\theta )`$ with $`\chi _0=J/4VB_0^2`$. As it follows from the above equations, the superconducting (Meissner) phase of piezomagnetization $`M_s(B,\theta )`$ (and the corresponding susceptibility $`\chi (\theta )`$) gradually dwindles with increasing the angle $`\theta `$, shifting towards paramagnetic phase (and reaching it eventually at $`\theta \pi `$).

Magnetomechanical effect. Let us consider the converse (to piezomagnetism) magnetomechanical effect, that is field induced change of torsional angle $`\theta _s(B,)`$ (and corresponding compliance $`C_s^1(B)`$, see below). In view of Eqs.(1)-(3), we obtain

$$\theta _s(B,)\left[\frac{E_J}{}\right]_{T=0}=\theta _0f_0(B/B_0)g_1(/_0)$$
(7)
where $`\theta _0=J/_0`$ with $`_0=C_0/L`$ and $`g_1(x)=\frac{d}{dx}[g_0(x)]`$.

Notice that in the absence of applied magnetic field (when $`B=0`$) the above equation establishes the so-called ”torque-angle” relationship (torsional analog of ”stress-strain” law ) for a twisted weak-link-bearing superconductor $`\theta _s(0,)=\theta _0g_1(/_0)`$. For small enough torsional deformations (when $`_0`$ which is usually the case in realistic experiments), the above model relationship reduces to a more familiar Hooke’s law, $`\theta _s(0,)=L/C_s(0)`$ with $`C_s(0)=(3C_0/JL)C_0`$ being the appropriate (zero-field) elastic modulus (inverse torsional compliance) whose magnetic field dependence is governed by the following equation

$$\frac{1}{C_s(B)}\frac{1}{L}\left[\frac{\theta _s(B,)}{}\right]_{=0}=\frac{1}{C_s(0)}\left[\frac{2J_1(B/B_0)}{B/B_0}\right]$$
(8)
It would be rather interesting to try to observe the above-discussed piezomagnetic and magnetomechanical effects (including torsional analog of paramagnetic Meissner effect ) in a twisted weak-link-containing superconductor.

Deformation induced thermomagnetic effects. Let us turn now to the main subject of this paper and consider the influence of a thermal gradient $`T`$ on the above discussed piezomagnetic and magnetomechanical effects. Hereafter we restrict our consideration to the case of small values of the applied thermal gradient $`T`$, leading to linear thermoelectric effects (for discussion of possible nonlinear Seebeck effects in Josephson junctions and granular superconductors see Ref.7). For thermal gradient applied normally and parallel to the torsional deformation (see Eq.(3)), we obtain two contributions (transverse and longitudinal) for the deformation induced thermomagnetization, emerging in the vicinity of the Josephson contact

$$\mathrm{\Delta }M(\theta ,B,T)\frac{1}{V}\left[\frac{E_J}{B}\right]_{T0}=M_{}^q(\theta ,B)_xT+M_{}^q(\theta ,B)_zT$$
(9)
where

$$M_{}^q(\theta ,B)=M_0^qf_2(B/B_0)g_0(\theta )$$
(10)
and

$$M_{}^q(\theta ,B)=M_0^qf_1(B/B_0)g_1(\theta )$$
(11)
Here $`M_0^q=(L/R)M_0^q`$ with $`M_0^q=2eJS_0\tau R/B_0V\mathrm{}`$, and $`f_2(x)=\frac{d}{dx}[f_1(x)]`$.

Notice that within the geometry adopted in the present paper, the true analog of Zavaritskii effect is given by a zero field limit of the transverse (paramagnetic) contribution, $`M_{}^q(\theta ,0)=(1/8)M_0^q(\mathrm{sin}\theta /\theta )`$. Its evolution with torsional angle follows the corresponding behavior of the induced susceptibility $`\chi (\theta )`$ (Cf. Eq.(6)) and, thus, it also undergoes a ”diamagnetic-paramagnetic” transition upon reaching a critical angle $`\theta _c\pi `$. On the other hand, the field-dependent longitudinal component $`M_{}^q(\theta ,B)`$ changes with $`\theta `$ linearly for $`\theta 1`$. It describes the appearance of deformation induced thermomagnetic component normal to the applied magnetic field $`\stackrel{}{B}=(0,B,0)`$. It disappears when $`B0`$ and for non-zero fields it closely follows the behavior of the (initially diamagnetic) torsional piezomagnetization $`M_s(B,\theta )`$ considered in the previous section (Cf. Eq.(6)).

Likewise, for thermal gradient applied normally and parallel to the torsional deformation (see Eq.(3)), we obtain two contributions for the heat flux induced magnetomechanical effect

$$\mathrm{\Delta }\theta (,B,T)\left[\frac{E_J}{}\right]_{T0}=\theta _{}^q(,B)_xT+\theta _{}^q(,B)_zT$$
(12)
where

$$\theta _{}^q(,B)=\theta _0^qf_1(B/B_0)g_1(/_0)$$
(13)
and

$$\theta _{}^q(,B)=\theta _0^qf_0(B/B_0)g_2(/_0)$$
(14)
Here $`\theta _0^q=(L/R)\theta _0^q`$ with $`\theta _0^q=2eS_0JR\tau /\mathrm{}_0`$ and $`g_2(x)=\frac{d}{dx}[g_1(x)]`$.

Once again, the true (deformation-free) heat flux induced magnetomechanical effect is given by the zero-deformation limit of the longitudinal component $`\theta _{}^q(0,B)`$ while a small angle expansion of the transverse component describes a thermal analog of Hooke’s law $`\theta _{}^q(,B)/C_{}^q(B)`$ with $`C_{}^q(B)`$ being the appropriate compliance coefficient.

Piezothermopower. Let us briefly discuss now one more interesting phenomenon of piezothermopower which can occur in a twisted superconducting rod with a $`SIS`$-type junction. According to Eqs.(1)-(3), the transverse and longitudinal contributions to (magnetic field-dependent) change of junction’s Seebeck coefficients under torsional deformation read:

$$\mathrm{\Delta }S_{}(\theta ,B)\frac{1}{eR}\left[\frac{E_J}{_xT}\right]=S_Jf_1(B/B_0)g_0(\theta )$$
(15)
and

$$\mathrm{\Delta }S_{}(\theta ,B)\frac{1}{eL}\left[\frac{E_J}{_zT}\right]=S_Jf_0(B/B_0)g_1(\theta )$$
(16)
with $`S_J=(2\tau J/\mathrm{})S_0`$.

Like in the previous paragraph, the deformation-free transversal component $`\mathrm{\Delta }S_{}(0,B)`$ describes the evolution of conventional thermopower in unloaded ($`\theta =0`$) sample with applied magnetic field, while the true piezothermopower is given by a zero-field limit of the longitudinal component $`\mathrm{\Delta }S_{}(\theta ,0)`$. Besides, the above analysis allows us to introduce a deformation induced AC Josephson effect (as a generalization of a more familiar thermal AC effect ) in a twisted $`SIS`$-contact bearing superconductor. Indeed, as soon as the thermal current exceeds the critical current, which will happen when $`\mathrm{\Delta }T`$ becomes larger than $`\mathrm{\Delta }T_c(\theta ,B)=I_cR_n/\mathrm{\Delta }S_{}(\theta ,B)`$ (where $`R_n`$ is the normal state resistance), a new type of Josephson generation with frequency $`\omega (\theta ,B)=2e\mathrm{\Delta }S_{}(\theta ,B)\mathrm{\Delta }T/\mathrm{}`$ should occur in the junction area (see below for more discussion).

Piezothermal conductivity. Finally, let us briefly consider the influence of mechanical deformation on magnetothermal conductivity of the twisted weak-link-bearing superconducting rod. To this end, we recall that the local heat flux density $`\stackrel{}{q}(\stackrel{}{x},t)`$ is related to the local Josephson energy density $`(\stackrel{}{x},t)`$ via the energy conservation law

$$\stackrel{}{q}(\stackrel{}{x},t)+\dot{}(\stackrel{}{x},t)=0$$
(17)
where $`\dot{}=/t`$.

The above equation allows us to introduce an effective thermal flux

$$\stackrel{}{Q}(t)\frac{1}{V}d^3x\stackrel{}{q}(\stackrel{}{x},t)=\frac{1}{V}d^3x\dot{}(\stackrel{}{x},t)\stackrel{}{x}$$
(18)
which in turn is related to the thermal conductivity tensor $`\kappa _{\alpha \beta }`$ as follows ($`\{\alpha ,\beta \}=x,y,z`$)

$$<Q_\alpha >\frac{1}{\tau }_0^\tau 𝑑tQ_\alpha (t)=\kappa _{\alpha \beta }_\beta T$$
(19)
Straightforward calculations based on Eqs.(1)-(3) yield the following explicit expressions for non-zero components of the thermal conductivity tensor

$`\kappa _{xx}(\theta ,B)`$ $`=`$ $`\kappa _0\left({\displaystyle \frac{R}{L}}\right)J_1^{}(B/B_0)g_{xx}(\theta )`$ (20)
$`\kappa _{xz}(\theta ,B)`$ $`=`$ $`\kappa _{zx}(\theta ,B)=\kappa _0J_1(B/B_0)g_{xz}(\theta )`$ (21)
$`\kappa _{zz}(\theta ,B)`$ $`=`$ $`\kappa _0\left({\displaystyle \frac{L}{R}}\right)J_0(B/B_0)g_{zz}(\theta )`$ (22)
where $`\kappa _0=8eS_0JRL/hV`$, $`J_1^{}(x)=J_0(x)J_1(x)/x`$ with $`J_n(x)`$ being the corresponding Bessel functions, $`g_{xx}(x)=(1\mathrm{cos}x)/x`$, $`g_{xz}(x)=\frac{d}{dx}[g_{xx}(x)]`$, and $`g_{zz}(x)=\frac{d^2}{dx^2}[g_{xx}(x)]`$.

For small torsional deformations (with $`\theta 1`$), $`g_{xx}(\theta )\theta /2`$, $`g_{xz}(\theta )(1\theta ^2/4)/2`$ and $`g_{zz}(\theta )\theta /4`$. So, $`\kappa _{xz}(0,B)`$ describes a conventional (deformation-free) magnetothermal conductivity in unloaded junction , while true (magnetic field-free) piezothermal conductivity is given by $`\kappa _{xx}(\theta ,0)`$ and $`\kappa _{zz}(\theta ,0)`$ components (both increasing linearly with $`\theta `$ for small angles). In a sense, introduced here piezothermal conductivity is a converse effect with respect to the original Zavaritskii effect  and it seems very interesting to try to realize it experimentally using tin rods (with and without weak links).

Discussion. To estimate the magnitudes of the predicted effects, we make use of the fact that for thermoelectric processes the characteristic time $`\tau `$ is related to a thermal AC frequency $`\omega _T=2eS_0\mathrm{\Delta }T/\mathrm{}`$ (assuming $`_xT\mathrm{\Delta }T/R`$ and $`_zT\mathrm{\Delta }T/L`$) as follows: $`\tau =2\pi /\omega _T`$. As a result, the deformation induced thermomagnetic field (Josephson analog of Zavaritskii effect) reads:

$$\mathrm{\Delta }H_{}4\pi M_{}^q(\theta ,0)_xTH_J\left(\frac{R}{L}\right)\left(\frac{\mathrm{sin}\theta }{\theta }\right)$$
(23)
where $`\mu _0H_J=\mathrm{\Phi }_0/2\pi \lambda _J^2`$ is a critical Josephson field.

Furthermore, combining the experimental parameters for $`SnSnOSn`$ anular Josephson junction considered by Matisoo  (namely, $`R_n=10^9\mathrm{\Omega }`$, $`j_c(0)=10^4A/m^2`$, $`\lambda _L(0)=40nm`$, and $`\lambda _J(0)=5mm`$) with the typical parameters from Zavaritskii experiments on tin rods  (namely, $`2R=5mm`$, $`L=8cm`$, and $`\theta _{max}=0.1rad`$) we obtain $`\mathrm{\Delta }B_{}=\mu _0\mathrm{\Delta }H_{}10^{12}T`$ which is equivalent to quite a tangible value of the deformation induced thermomagnetic flux through the junction $`\mathrm{\Delta }\mathrm{\Phi }_{}=\pi R^2\mathrm{\Delta }B_{}10^2\mathrm{\Phi }_0`$. The same set of parameters yields $`B_0=\mathrm{\Phi }_0/2\pi dR10^6T`$ and $`B_J=\mathrm{\Phi }_0/2\pi \lambda _J^210^{10}T`$ for estimates of characteristic and critical Josephson fields, respectively. Finally, using some typical  experimental data describing physics of conventional Josephson contacts (with $`S_010^8V/K`$ and $`\mathrm{\Delta }T10^4K`$), we can estimate the orders of magnitude of the piezothermal conductivity and deformation induced AC Josephson generation (related to piezothermopower). The result is as follows, $`\kappa _{zz}(\theta ,0)(2eS_0JL^2/hV)\theta (2/\pi )S_0j_c\theta 10^2W/mK`$ and $`\omega (\theta ,0)=2e\mathrm{\Delta }S_{}(\theta ,0)\mathrm{\Delta }T/\mathrm{}(\omega _J\tau /3)\theta \omega _T10^{11}Hz`$, where $`\omega _J=2J/\mathrm{}10^{12}Hz`$ and $`\omega _T=2eS_0\mathrm{\Delta }T/\mathrm{}1kHz`$ are characteristic (Josephson and thermal, respectively) frequencies. The above estimates suggest quite an optimistic possibility to observe the predicted here effects experimentally through a comparative study of conventional superconductors with and without $`SIS`$-type junctions.

At the same time, to check the validity of some other interesting predictions (like Fraunhofer patterns given by a set of $`g_n(\theta )`$ functions, see the text), much larger torsional deformations (reaching critical angles of the order of $`\theta _c\pi `$) are needed. Hopefully, this will become possible in the very nearest future, with further advancement of experimental techniques and new technologies for manufacturing of nanostructured superconducting materials with implanted atomic scale Josephson junctions and other weak links .

In conclusion, a few novel mesoscopic quantum phenomena which are expected to occur in a weak-link-bearing superconductor under influence of torsional deformation, thermal gradient and applied magnetic field were presented. The observability of the predicted effects, using conventional superconductors as well as novel materials with well-controlled mesoscopic Josephson junctions was discussed.

The idea of this work was conceived and partially realized during my stay at the Universidade Federal de São Carlos (Brazil) where it was funded by the Brazilian Agency FAPESP (Projeto 2000/04187-8). I thank Wilson Ortiz and Fernando Araujo-Moreira for hospitality and stimulating discussions on the subject.