ArXiv · 2026
Coupling quantum materials to electromagnetic cavities or resonators without external driving has gained prominence as a new control mechanism. Here we develop an equilibrium theory of a mesoscopic, disordered two-dimensional superconductor coupled to a subwavelength terahertz resonator, focusing on the interplay between superconducting phase fluctuations in the sample and electromagnetic fluctuations of the resonator. Modeling the resonator as a lumped-element circuit, we show that the coupling enhances, rather than suppresses, the superconducting transition temperature T_c. When the sample is smaller than the Pearl length, phase fluctuations near the Berezinskii–Kosterlitz–Thouless (BKT) transition strongly amplify this enhancement. Crucially, the resistive quasiparticle response of the sample must be included in the analysis: at low frequencies the superfluid shunts the normal-fluid channel, reducing the total sample impedance. For representative parameters, a 1 μm × 1 μm, 8 nm-thick disordered film, we find a relative T_c enhancement of about 1%, an order of magnitude larger than the 0.1% obtained when phase fluctuations are neglected. These results identify superconductors with soft phase fluctuations as promising platforms for equilibrium control with terahertz resonators.
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