Abstract

Superconducting metamaterials comprising of rf Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices (SQUIDs) form a complex nonlinear system with interesting tuneability and dynamic multistability properties. Depending on the parameter regime the SQUID metamaterial may operate in a negative permeability regime, induce intrinsic nonlinear localized modes, tame disorder through hysteretic loops or transmit through nonlinear frequency bands. In the quantum regime, on the other hand, the SQUID “meta-atoms” may interact through injected electromagnetic field and form a propagating “quantum breather”, i.e. a compound semiclassical propagating mode induced by the nonlinearity of the interaction. In this presentation we will first focus on the classical results and outline the nonlinear dynamics aspects of the SQUID metamaterial and then switch to the semiclassical regime and describe the dynamics of the collective mode and its properties.