Odd-frequency superconductivity in dilute magnetic superconductors

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that dilute magnetic impurities induce odd-frequency superconductivity in conventional superconductors, leading to Yu-Shiba-Rusinov bands, with theoretical expressions enabling experimental detection via tunneling measurements.

Contribution

It provides a general theoretical framework showing how magnetic impurities generate odd-frequency pairing and offers explicit formulas for experimental identification.

Findings

Magnetic impurities induce Yu-Shiba-Rusinov bands within the superconducting gap.

Odd-frequency superconductivity can be extracted from tunneling measurements.

Theoretical model solved with dynamical mean field theory.

Abstract

We show that dilute magnetic impurities in a conventional superconductor give origin to an odd-frequency component of superconductivity, manifesting itself in Yu-Shiba-Rusinov bands forming within the bulk superconducting gap. Our results are obtained in a general model solved within the dynamical mean field theory. By exploiting a disorder analysis and the limit to a single impurity, we are able to provide general expressions that can be used to extract explicitly the odd-frequency superconducting function from scanning tunneling measurements.