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Title: Pseudogap in a thin film of a conventional superconductor.

Journal Article · · Nature Comm.
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms1140· OSTI ID:1009362

A superconducting state is characterized by the gap in the electronic density of states, which vanishes at the superconducting transition temperature T{sub c}. It was discovered that in high-temperature superconductors, a noticeable depression in the density of states, the pseudogap, still remains even at temperatures above T{sub c}. Here, we show that a pseudogap exists in a conventional superconductor, ultrathin titanium nitride films, over a wide range of temperatures above T{sub c}. Our study reveals that this pseudogap state is induced by superconducting fluctuations and favoured by two-dimensionality and by the proximity to the transition to the insulating state. A general character of the observed phenomenon provides a powerful tool to discriminate between fluctuations as the origin of the pseudogap state and other contributions in the layered high-temperature superconductor compounds.

Research Organization:
Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC); Russian Federation of Basic Research
DOE Contract Number:
DE-AC02-06CH11357
OSTI ID:
1009362
Report Number(s):
ANL/MSD/JA-69193; TRN: US201106%%420
Journal Information:
Nature Comm., Vol. 1, Issue 9 ; Dec. 2010
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
ENGLISH