Coherent Tunneling between Elementary Conducting Layers in the NbSe$_3$ Charge-Density-Wave Conductor

TL;DR

This paper investigates transverse transport in NbSe$_3$, revealing zero-bias conductivity peaks and multiple-gap features, interpreted as evidence of coherent interlayer tunneling of charge carriers in a charge-density-wave system.

Contribution

It provides experimental evidence of coherent tunneling phenomena in NbSe$_3$, linking transport features to charge carrier dynamics across layers.

Findings

Zero-bias conductivity peak observed at low temperatures

Multiple peaks at voltages corresponding to double Peierls gap

Resemblance to interlayer tunneling in high-$T_c$ superconductors

Abstract

Characteristic features of transverse transport along the $a^*$ axis in the NbSe$_3$ charge-density-wave conductor are studied. At low temperatures, the $I$-$V$ characteristics of both layered structures and NbSe$_3$-NbSe$_3$ point contacts exhibit a strong peak of dynamic conductivity at zero bias voltage. In addition, the $I$-$V$ characteristics of layered structures exhibit a series of peaks that occur at voltages equal to multiples of the double Peierls gap. The conductivity behavior observed in the experiment resembles that reported for the interlayer tunneling in Bi-2212 high-$T_c$ superconductors. The conductivity peak at zero bias is explained using the model of almost coherent interlayer tunneling of the charge carriers that are not condensed in the charge density wave.