# Dominant $s$-wave superconducting gap in PdTe$_2$ observed by tunneling spectroscopy on side-junctions

## TL;DR

This study uses tunneling spectroscopy on PdTe$_2$ side-junctions to demonstrate that its superconductivity is predominantly conventional $s$-wave, confirmed by modeling with an extended BTK formalism.

## Contribution

It provides direct experimental evidence and modeling that establish the $s$-wave symmetry of superconductivity in PdTe$_2$ using tunneling spectroscopy.

## Key findings

- Superconductivity in PdTe$_2$ is mainly $s$-wave.
- Low transparency junctions can enter a thermal regime.
- Modified BTK model accurately fits the conductance spectra.

## Abstract

We have fabricated superconductor-normal metal side-junctions with different barrier transparencies out of PdTe$_2$ crystalline flakes and measured the differential conductance spectra. Modeling our measurements using a modified Blonder Tinkham Klapwijk (BTK) formalism confirms that the superconductivity is mostly comprised of the conventional $s$-wave symmetry. We have found that for junctions with very low barrier transparencies, the junctions can enter a thermal regime, where the critical current becomes important. Adding this to the BTK-model allows us to accurately fit the experimental data, from which we conclude that the superconductivity in the $a$-$b$ plane of PdTe$_2$ is dominated by conventional $s$-wave pairing.