Anomalous gap edge dissipation in disordered superconductors on the brink of localization

TL;DR

This study investigates the low-frequency conductivity in highly disordered NbN superconducting films near the localization transition, revealing anomalous spectral weight below the gap and complex disorder effects on superconductivity.

Contribution

It provides experimental insights into the interplay of disorder and superconductivity near localization, highlighting deviations from conventional models in optical conductivity.

Findings

Strong deviations from Drude behavior in the normal state

Spectral weight observed below the superconducting gap

Optical conductivity recovers faster than predicted by models

Abstract

Superconductivity in disordered systems close to an incipient localization transition has been an area of investigation for many years. It has been noted that in such highly disordered superconductors, anomalous spectral weight develops in their conductivity near and below the superconducting gap energy. In this work we investigate the low frequency conductivity in disordered superconducting NbN thin films close to the localization transition with time-domain terahertz spectroscopy. In the normal state, strong deviations from the Drude form due to incipient localization are found. In the superconducting state we find substantial spectral weight at frequencies well below the superconducting gap scale derived from tunneling. We analyze this spectral weight in the context of a model of disorder induced broadening of the quasiparticle density of states and effective pair-breaking. We find that although aspects of the optical and tunneling data can be consistently modeled in terms of this effect of mesoscopic disorder, the optical conductivity returns to the normal state value much faster than any model predicts. This points to the non-trivial interplay of superconductivity and disorder close to localization.