Magnetic-Related States and Order Parameter Induced in a Conventional Superconductor by Nonmagnetic Chiral Molecules

Hen Alpern; Konstantin Yavilberg; Tom Dvir; Nir Sukenik; Maya Klang; Shira Yochelis; Hagai Cohen; Eytan Grosfeld; Hadar Steinberg; Yossi Paltiel; Oded Millo

doi:10.1021/acs.nanolett.9b01552

arXiv · 1908.00344

Magnetic-Related States and Order Parameter Induced in a Conventional Superconductor by Nonmagnetic Chiral Molecules

Hen Alpern·Konstantin Yavilberg·Tom Dvir·Nir Sukenik·Maya Klang·Shira Yochelis·Hagai Cohen·Eytan Grosfeld·Hadar Steinberg·Yossi Paltiel·Oded Millo

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Abstract

Hybrid ferromagnetic/superconducting systems are well known for hosting intriguing phenomena such as emergent triplet superconductivity at their interfaces and the appearance of in-gap, spin polarized Yu-Shiba-Rusinov (YSR) states bound to magnetic impurities on a superconducting surface. In this work we demonstrate that similar phenomena can be induced on a surface of a conventional superconductor by chemisorbing non-magnetic chiral molecules. Conductance spectra measured on NbSe2 flakes over which chiral alpha helix polyalanine molecules were adsorbed, exhibit, in some cases, in-gap states nearly symmetrically positioned around zero bias that shift with magnetic field, akin to YSR states, as corroborated by theoretical simulations. Other samples show evidence for a collective phenomenon of hybridized YSR-like states giving rise to unconventional, possibly triplet superconductivity, manifested in the conductance spectra by the appearance of a zero bias conductance that diminishes, but does not split, with magnetic field. The transition between these two scenarios appears to be governed by the density of adsorbed molecules.

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Hen Alpern, Konstantin Yavilberg, Tom Dvir, Nir Sukenik, Maya Klang, Shira Yochelis, Hagai Cohen, Eytan Grosfeld, Hadar Steinberg, Yossi Paltiel, Oded Millo. 2019-08-01. Magnetic-Related States and Order Parameter Induced in a Conventional Superconductor by Nonmagnetic Chiral Molecules. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.9b01552

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