Superconductivity of alpha-gallium probed on the atomic scale by normal and Josephson tunneling

Abstract

We investigate superconducting gallium in its $\alpha$ phase using scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy at temperatures down to about 100 mK. High-resolution tunneling spectroscopies using both superconducting and normal tips show that superconducting $\alpha$-Ga is accurately described by Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer theory, with a gap ${\Delta }_{\mathrm{Ga}}$ = 163 $\mu$eV on the $\alpha -$Ga(112) facet, with highly homogeneous spectra over the surface, including atomic defects and step edges. Using a superconducting Pb tip, we furthermore study the low-bias conductance features of the Josephson junction formed between tip and sample. The features are accurately described by dynamical Coulomb blockade theory, highlighting $\alpha -$Ga as a possible platform for surface science studies of mesoscopic superconductivity.