Superfluid flow in disordered superconductors with Dynes pair-breaking scattering: depairing current, kinetic inductance, and superheating field

Abstract

We investigate the effects of Dynes pair-breaking scattering rate $\Gamma$ on the superfluid flow in a narrow thin-film superconductor and a semi-infinite superconductor by self-consistently solving the coupled Maxwell and Usadel equations for the BCS theory in the diffusive limit for all temperature $T$, all $\Gamma$, and all superfluid momentum. We obtain the depairing current density $j_d(\Gamma ,T)$ and the current-dependent nonlinear kinetic inductance $L_k(j_s,\Gamma ,T)$ in a narrow thin-film and the superheating field $H_{sh}(\Gamma ,T)$ and the current distribution in a semi-infinite superconductor, taking the nonlinear Meissner effect into account. The analytical expressions for $j_d(\Gamma ,T){|}_{T=0}$, $L_k(j_s,\Gamma ,T){|}_{T=0}$, and $H_{sh}(\Gamma ,T){|}_{T=0}$ are also derived. The theory suggests $j_d$ and $H_{sh}$ can be ameliorated by reducing $\Gamma$, and $L_k$ can be tuned by a combination of the bias current and $\Gamma$. Tunneling spectroscopy can test the theory and also give insight into how to engineer $\Gamma$ via materials processing. Implications of the theory would be useful to improve performances of various superconducting quantum devices.

16 pages, 16 figures

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