Study of the Order Parameter symmetry in overdoped Y1-xCaxBa2Cu3O7-delta by measurement of Andreev reflection, evidence for enhancement of the sub dominant order parameter amplitude in high transparency contacts

TL;DR

This study investigates the symmetry of the order parameter in overdoped Y1-xCaxBa2Cu3O7-delta using Andreev reflection measurements, revealing a significant sub-dominant imaginary component that varies with contact transparency, indicating proximity effects.

Contribution

It demonstrates the presence and transparency-dependent enhancement of a sub-dominant imaginary order parameter in high-temperature superconductor contacts.

Findings

Sub-dominant imaginary order parameter reaches up to 60% at high transparency

Pure d-wave order parameter cannot fit the conductance data

Proximity effect influences the sub-dominant component amplitude

Abstract

We have measured the differential Conductance of Au/Y1-xCaxBa2Cu3O7-delta point contacts in the regime where it is dominated by Andreev reflection, which enhances its value at low bias. We find that the characteristics can not be fitted by a pure d-wave Order Parameter (OP). Using the formalism developed by Kashiwaya and Tanaka[1], the best fits are obtained by adding a sub-dominant imaginary OP, whose amplitude appears to depend on the transparency of the contact. At high transparencies it can reach up to 60% of the total amplitude of the OP. for lower transparencies it is substantially smaller. We attribute this enhancement, at high transparencies to a proximity effect between the Au tip and the superconducting electrode