Yu-Shiba-Rusinov bands in ferromagnetic superconducting diamond

TL;DR

This paper reports the discovery of Yu-Shiba-Rusinov bands in ferromagnetic superconducting diamond, revealing how magnetic and superconducting properties coexist and form new electronic states, with implications for advanced superconducting device design.

Contribution

It demonstrates the emergence of YSR bands in ferromagnetic superconducting diamond and provides a theoretical model linking spin lattice structure to YSR states.

Findings

YSR bands extend tens of nanometers in the material

Theoretical model links 2D spin lattice to YSR density-of-states

Coexistence of ferromagnetism and superconductivity enables new electronic states

Abstract

The combination of different exotic properties in materials paves the way for the emergence of their new potential applications. An example is the recently found coexistence of the mutually antagonistic ferromagnetism and superconductivity in hydrogenated boron-doped diamond, which promises to be an attractive system with which to explore unconventional physics. Here, we show the emergence of Yu-Shiba-Rusinov (YSR) bands with a spatial extent of tens of nanometers in ferromagnetic superconducting diamond using scanning tunneling spectroscopy. We demonstrate theoretically how a two-dimensional (2D) spin lattice at the surface of a three-dimensional (3D) superconductor gives rise to the YSR bands, and how their density-of-states profile correlates with the spin lattice structure. The established strategy to realize new forms of the coexistence of ferromagnetism and superconductivity opens a way to engineer the unusual electronic states and also to design better performing superconducting devices.