Evidence for Surface Andreev Bound states in Cuprate Superconductors from Penetration Depth Measurements

Theoretical results for the ab-plane tunneling conductance in the d-wave model for high Tc superconductors are presented. The d-wave model predicts surface bound states below the maximum gap. A sub-dominant order parameter, stabilized by the surface, leads to a splitting of the zero-bias conductance peak (ZBCP) in zero external field and to spontaneous surface currents. In a magnetic field screening currents shift the quasiparticle bound state spectrum and lead to a voltage s...

Scanning tunneling spectroscopy of (110) $YBa_2Cu_3O_{7-\delta}/Au$ bi-layers reveal a proximity effect markedly different from the conventional one. While proximity-induced mini-gaps rarely appear in the Au layer, the Andreev bound states clearly penetrate into the metal. Zero bias conductance peaks are measured on Au layers thinner than 7 nm with magnitude similar to those detected on the bare superconductor films. The peaks then decay abruptly with Au thickness and disappe...

Scanning tunneling spectroscopy was performed on (110)-oriented thin films of Ca-overdoped Y$_{0.95}$Ca$_{0.05}$Ba$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7-\delta}$ at 4.2K, to probe the local evolution of Andreev$-$Saint-James surface states in a c-axis magnetic field. In zero field, we observed conductance spectra with spontaneously-split peaks and spectra with unsplit zero-bias peaks. The former showed enhanced splitting with field, and the latter showed threshold splitting above finite fields. Alt...

We report on measurements of the low temperature dependence of the magnetic penetration depth lambda_ab in several single crystals of La_2-xSr_xCuO_4, Bi_2Sr_2CaCu_2O_8 and YBa_2Cu_3O_6+x at various doping levels ranging from the under- to the overdoped regimes by using a novel single-coil technique achieving 10 pm resolution. We have found a linear dependence of lambda_ab in all samples with a rapidly increasing slope dlambda_ab/dT as doping decreases. Our analysis of the da...

We present measurements of the magnetic field dependence of the penetration depth Lambda(H) for untwinned YBa_2Cu_3O_6.95 for temperatures from 1.2 to 70 K in dc fields up to 42 gauss and directions 0, 45 and 90 degrees with respect to the crystal b-axis. The experiment uses an ac susceptometer with fields applied parallel to the ab-plane of thin platelet samples. The resolution is about 0.15 Angstroms in zero dc field, degrading to 0.2 or 0.3 Angstroms at the higher fields. ...

A characteristic feature of the BCS theory of superconductivity is the quantum-mechanical coherence of particle and hole states. Direct observation of particle-hole coherence in unusual superconducting materials is a strong indication of traditional superconductivity. We use the Fermi liquid theory of superconductivity to study the implications of particle-hole coherence on properties of d-wave superconductors near surfaces. Typical surface phenomena are the suppression of th...

As charge carriers traverse a single superconductor ferromagnet interface they experience an additional spin-dependent phase angle which results in spin mixing and the formation of a bound state called the Andreev Bound State. This state is an essential component in the generation of long range spin triplet proximity induced superconductivity and yet the factors controlling the degree of spin mixing and the formation of the bound state remain elusive. Here we demonstrate that...

Tunneling spectroscopy at surfaces of unconventional superconductors has proven an invaluable tool for obtaining information about the pairing symmetry. It is known that mid gap Andreev bound states manifest itself as a zero bias conductance peak in tunneling spectroscopy. The zero bias conductance peak is a signature for a non-trivial pair potential that exhibits different signs on different regions of the Fermi surface. Here, we review recent theoretical results on the spec...

The absolute values of the conductivity in the normal state sigma_n and of the low temperature penetration depths lambda(0) were measured for a number of different samples of the YBaCuO family. We found a striking correlation between sigma_n and 1/lambda^2, regardless of doping, oxygen reduction or defects, thus providing a simple method to predict the superconducting penetration depth and to have an estimate of the sample quality by measuring the normal-state conductivity.

The tunneling spectrum of the superconducting phase with T_c ~ 3.0 K has been measured in the Ru-embedded region of Sr_2RuO_4 using cleaved junctions. A sharp zero-bias conductance peak (ZBCP) has been observed below 3 K. All characteristics of this ZBCP suggest that it originates from Andreev surface bound states, indicating that the pairing in the 3-K phase is also non-s-wave. Below the bulk T_c of Sr_2RuO_4 (~1.5 K), a bell-shaped ZBCP was found. This supports that there i...