Quantum dynamics of charge in quasi-one-dimensional superconductors

Volt-ampere characteristics of narrow superconducting titanum wires have been studied experimentally. The narrowest specimens measured by means of high-resistance contacts have revealed a behavior nontrivial for superconductors: the Coulomb blockade. The Coulomb gap size correlates with the frequency of quantum phase slips. The observation confirms the identity of quantum dynamics of charge in the Josephson junctions and in the quasi-one-dimensional superconducting channels in the regime of quantum fluctuations of the order parameter.