Superconducting gap modulations: are they from pair density waves or pair-breaking scattering?

TL;DR

This paper investigates whether superconducting gap modulations are caused by pair density waves or pair-breaking scattering, analyzing their distinctions, unifications, and relevance to recent experimental findings.

Contribution

It clarifies the mechanisms behind superconducting gap modulations, comparing pair density waves and pair-breaking scattering effects, and discusses their implications for recent experiments.

Findings

Both pair density waves and pair-breaking scattering can cause gap modulations.

Interference effects of pair-breaking scattering can mimic pair density wave signatures.

The paper unifies the understanding of these two mechanisms in the context of experimental observations.

Abstract

In his seminal work published in Acta Physica Sinica in 1965, Yu Lu pointed out that the superconducting gap exhibits weak modulations near the pair-breaking magnetic impurity in a superconductor. In the past ten years, a series of high-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy works reported weak superconducting gap modulations in certain superconductors and explained these phenomena as pair density waves. In line with Yu's discovery, Lee DH et al. pointed out that in many cases, the interference effect of pair-breaking scattering can also lead to superconducting gap modulations in space. We will discuss the distinction and unification of these two kinds of mechanisms, as well as their relevance to recent experimental observations.