The density of states of chaotic Andreev billiards

TL;DR

This paper uses a semiclassical approach to analyze how chaos, magnetic fields, phase differences, and Ehrenfest time influence the density of states and gap formation in Andreev billiards, revealing new effects like a second gap.

Contribution

It extends semiclassical theory to include magnetic fields, phase shifts, and Ehrenfest time effects on the density of states in chaotic Andreev billiards, explaining gap formation and suppression.

Findings

Chaos and interference create a hard gap in the spectrum.

Magnetic fields and phase differences can suppress or reshape the gap.

Finite Ehrenfest time can induce a second hard gap.

Abstract

Quantum cavities or dots have markedly different properties depending on whether their classical counterparts are chaotic or not. Connecting a superconductor to such a cavity leads to notable proximity effects, particularly the appearance, predicted by random matrix theory, of a hard gap in the excitation spectrum of quantum chaotic systems. Andreev billiards are interesting examples of such structures built with superconductors connected to a ballistic normal metal billiard since each time an electron hits the superconducting part it is retroreflected as a hole (and vice-versa). Using a semiclassical framework for systems with chaotic dynamics, we show how this reflection, along with the interference due to subtle correlations between the classical paths of electrons and holes inside the system, are ultimately responsible for the gap formation. The treatment can be extended to include the effects of a symmetry breaking magnetic field in the normal part of the billiard or an Andreev billiard connected to two phase shifted superconductors. Therefore we are able to see how these effects can remold and eventually suppress the gap. Furthermore the semiclassical framework is able to cover the effect of a finite Ehrenfest time which also causes the gap to shrink. However for intermediate values this leads to the appearance of a second hard gap - a clear signature of the Ehrenfest time.