Revealing superconducting gap in La3Ni2O7-δ by Andreev reflection spectroscopy under high pressure.
Jianning Guo, Yuzhi Chen, Yulong Wang, Hualei Sun, Deyuan Hu, Meng Wang, Xiaoli Huang, Tian Cui
Abstract
Open AccessThe recent discovery of compressed superconductivity at 80 K in La3Ni2O7-δ has brought nickelates into the family of unconventional high-temperature superconductors. However, due to the challenges of directly probing the superconducting pairing mechanism under high-pressure, the pairing symmetry and gap structures of nickelate superconductors remain under intense debate. In this work, we successfully determine the microscopic information on the superconducting gap structure of La3Ni2O7-δ samples subjected to pressures exceeding 20 GPa, by constructing different conductance junctions within diamond anvil cells. By analyzing the temperature-dependent differential conductance spectra within the Blonder-Tinkham-Klapwijk (BTK) model, we have determined the superconducting energy gap at high pressure. The differential conductance curves reveal a two-gap structure with Δs1 = 23 meV and Δs2 = 6 meV, while the BTK fitting consistent with an s-like, two-gap spectrum. The gap ratio 2Δs1(0)/kBTc is found to be 7.41, belonging to a family of strongly coupled superconductors. Our findings provide valuable insights into the superconducting gap structures of the pressure-induced superconducting nickelates.