Premium
Observation of Yu–Shiba–Rusinov States in Superconducting Graphene
Author(s) -
Cortésdel Río Eva,
Lado Jose Luis,
Cherkez Vladimir,
Mallet Pierre,
Veuillen JeanYves,
Cuevas Juan Carlos,
GómezRodríguez José María,
FernándezRossier Joaquín,
Brihuega Iván
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
advanced materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 10.707
H-Index - 527
eISSN - 1521-4095
pISSN - 0935-9648
DOI - 10.1002/adma.202008113
Subject(s) - superconductivity , graphene , condensed matter physics , proximity effect (electron beam lithography) , majorana , magnetism , scanning tunneling microscope , materials science , grain boundary , physics , topology (electrical circuits) , nanotechnology , microstructure , resist , mathematics , layer (electronics) , combinatorics , metallurgy , electron beam lithography
When magnetic atoms are inserted inside a superconductor, the superconducting order is locally depleted as a result of the antagonistic nature of magnetism and superconductivity. Thereby, distinctive spectral features, known as Yu–Shiba–Rusinov states, appear inside the superconducting gap. The search for Yu–Shiba–Rusinov states in different materials is intense, as they can be used as building blocks to promote Majorana modes suitable for topological quantum computing. Here, the first observation of Yu–Shiba–Rusinov states in graphene, a non‐superconducting 2D material, and without the participation of magnetic atoms, is reported. Superconductivity in graphene is induced by proximity effect brought by adsorbing nanometer‐scale superconducting Pb islands. Using scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy the superconducting proximity gap is measured in graphene, and Yu–Shiba–Rusinov states are visualized in graphene grain boundaries. The results reveal the very special nature of those Yu–Shiba–Rusinov states, which extends more than 20 nm away from the grain boundaries. These observations provide the long‐sought experimental confirmation that graphene grain boundaries host local magnetic moments and constitute the first observation of Yu–Shiba–Rusinov states in a chemically pure system.