Berlin 2024 – scientific programme

Parts | Days | Selection | Search | Updates | Downloads | Help

TT: Fachverband Tiefe Temperaturen

TT 66: Superconductivity: Yu-Shiba-Rusinov and Andreev Physics

TT 66.1: Talk

Thursday, March 21, 2024, 09:30–09:45, H 3005

Proximity-superconductivity of noble metal surface states — •Christian von Bredow, Lucas Schneider, Howon Kim, Torben Hänke, Khai That Ton, Kirsten von Bergmann, Jens Wiebe, and Roland Wiesendanger — Department of Physics, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

Adding superconductivity to gapless materials via the proximity effect can lead to a variety of interesting physical phenomena including topologically non-trivial states [1,2,3]. Rashba-split surface states, proximitized by a superconducting substrate, have recently been of particular interest as they combine large spin-orbit coupling with a large superconducting gap, making them a popular system in the search for topological superconductivity [4].

We study the mechanism of proximity-induced superconductivity in the Shockley-type surface states of thin films of Cu and Ag, grown on Nb(110), the elemental superconductor with the highest critical temperature, via STM. The tunneling spectra exhibit a multitude of sharp peaks at low energies, which can be assigned to two types of Andreev-bound states in the thin film and in the surface state.

[1] L. Schneider et al., Nature 621 (2023) 60

[2] J. Ortuzar et al., Phys. Rev. B 108 (2023) 024511

[3] T. Tomanic et al., Phys. Rev. B 94 (2016) 220503(R)

[4] A. C. Potter et al., Phys. Rev. B 85 (2012) 094516

Keywords: Superconductivity; Andreev-bound states; Proximity effect; Shockley surface state; Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM)