Wave-function hybridization in Yu-Shiba-Rusinov dimers

TL;DR

This study explores how magnetic Mn adatoms on a superconducting Pb surface hybridize their Yu-Shiba-Rusinov states, revealing symmetric and antisymmetric combinations influenced by orbital shape and lattice orientation.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed experimental investigation of YSR state hybridization in Mn dimers on Pb(001) using scanning tunneling spectroscopy.

Findings

YSR states form symmetric and antisymmetric combinations in dimers

Hybridization depends on orbital shape and dimer orientation

Energy splitting varies with dimer configuration

Abstract

Magnetic adsorbates on superconductors induce local bound states within the superconducting gap. These Yu-Shiba-Rusinov (\YSR) states decay slowly away from the impurity compared to atomic orbitals, even in 3d bulk crystals. Here, we use scanning tunneling spectroscopy to investigate their hybridization between two nearby magnetic Mn adatoms on a superconducting Pb(001) surface. We observe that the hybridization leads to the formation of symmetric and antisymmetric combinations of \YSR states. We investigate how the structure of the dimer wave functions and the energy splitting depend on the shape of the underlying monomer orbitals and the orientation of the dimer with respect to the Pb lattice.