5 research outputs found
Andreev reflections on Y1-xCaxBa2Cu3O7-delta evidence for an unusual proximity effect
We have measured Andreev reflections between an Au tip and
Y_{1-x}Ca_{x}Ba_{2}Cu_{3}O_{7 - \delta} thin films in the in-plane orientation.
The conductance spectra are best fitted with a pair potential having the
"d_{x^{2}-y^{2}+is" symmetry. We find that the amplitude of the "is" component
is enhanced as the contact transparency is increased. This is an indication for
an unusual proximity effect that modifies the pair potential in the
superconductor near the surface with the normal metal.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Symmetry and Temperature dependence of the Order parameter in MgB2 from point contact measurements
We have performed differential conductance versus voltage measurements of
Au/MgB2 point contacts. We find that the dominant component in the conductance
is due to Andreev reflection. The results are fitted to the theoretical model
of BTK for an s-wave symmetry from which we extract the value of the order
parameter (Delta) and its temperature dependence. From our results we also
obtain a lower experimental bound on the Fermi velocity in MgB2.Comment: 7 pages (Including figure captions) and 4 figure
The BCS-like gap in superconductor SmFeAsO_0.85F_0.15
Since the discovery of superconductivity in the cuprates two decades ago, it
has been firmly established that the CuO_2 plane is consequential for high T_C
superconductivity and a host of other very unusual properties. A new family of
superconductors with the general composition of LaFeAsO_(1-x)F_x has recently
been discovered but with the conspicuous lacking of the CuO_2 planes, thus
raising the tantalizing questions of the different pairing mechanisms in these
oxypnictide superconductors. Intimately related to pairing in a superconductor
are the superconducting gap, its value, structure, and temperature dependence.
Here we report the observation of a single gap in the superconductor
SmFeAsO_0.85F_0.15 with T_C = 42 K as measured by Andreev spectroscopy. The gap
value of 2Delta = 13.34+/-0.3 meV gives 2Delta/k_BT_C = 3.68, close to the BCS
prediction of 3.53. The gap decreases with temperature and vanishes at T_C in a
manner consistent with the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) prediction but
dramatically different from that of the pseudogap behavior in the cuprate
superconductors. Our results clearly indicate a nodeless gap order parameter,
which is nearly isotropic in size across different sections of the Fermi
surface, and are not compatible with models involving antiferromagnetic
fluctuations, strong correlations, t-J model, and the like, originally designed
for cuprates.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figure
Observation of Bound Surface States in Grain Boundary Junctions of High Temperature Superconductors
We have performed a detailed study of the tunneling spectra of bicrystal
grain boundary junctions (GBJs) fabricated from the HTS YBCO, BSCCO, LSCO, and
NCCO. In all experiments the tunneling direction was along the CuO planes. With
the exception of NCCO, for all materials a pronounced zero bias conductance
peak was observed which decreases with increasing temperature and disappears at
the critical temperature. These results can be explained by the presence of a
dominating d-wave symmetry of the order parameter resulting in the formation of
zero energy Andreev bound states at surfaces and interfaces of HTS. The absence
of a ZBCP for NCCO is consistent with a dominating s-wave symmetry of the pair
potential in this material. The observed nonlinear shift of spectral weight to
finite energies by applying a magnetic field is in qualitative agreement with
recent theoretical predictions.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, to be published in Phys. Rev.