Observation of cooper pair splitting and andreev bound states in carbon nanotubes

In this thesis, we investigate Cooper pair splitting in double quantum dot devices made from carbon nanotubes. We present transport measurements in which the controlled splitting of Cooper pairs dominates the current through such a device, reaching unprecedented splitting efficiencies of up to 90%.
In another experiment we use Cooper pair splitting (and a related non-local transport processes) as a tool to investigate Andreev bound states. Andreev bound states are a key concept in mesoscopic superconductivity. They can form due to the penetration of Cooper pairs into a quantum dot, leading to a new type of energy level that differs drastically from conventional particle-in-a-box states.