Flux State in a System of Two Magnetically Coupled Mesoscopic Rings

Abstract

Based on a phenomenological model and taking into account the mutual inductance, we study the external magnetic flux dependence of persistent currents in a system of two electrically isolated mesoscopic rings. The possibility of a ground state with spontaneous magnetic flux trapped in the system is addressed. The analogy of the flux state in normal-metal rings and their superconducting counterparts is also discussed.