Mixed-State Quasiparticle Spectrum for d-wave Superconductors

TL;DR

This paper compares the microscopic electronic properties of s-wave and d-wave superconductors in the mixed state, highlighting differences in local density-of-states and experimental implications for high-$T_c$ materials.

Contribution

It provides a self-consistent numerical analysis of the quasiparticle spectrum in d-wave and s-wave superconductors using Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations.

Findings

Differences in local density-of-states near vortex cores.

Implications for scanning-tunneling-microscopy measurements.

Implications for specific heat measurements.

Abstract

Controversy concerning the pairing symmetry of high-$T_c$ materials has motivated an interest in those measurable properties of superconductors for which qualitative differences exist between the s-wave and d-wave cases. We report on a comparison between the microscopic electronic properties of d-wave and s-wave superconductors in the mixed state. Our study is based on self-consistent numerical solutions of the mean-field Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations for phenomenological BCS models which have s-wave and d-wave condensates in the absence of a magnetic field. We discuss differences between the s-wave and the d-wave local density-of-states, both near and away from vortex cores. Experimental implications for both scanning-tunneling-microscopy measurements and specific heat measurements are discussed.