Finite-Frequency Dissipation in Two-Dimensional Superconductors with Disorder at the Nanoscale

Abstract

Two-dimensional superconductors with disorder at the nanoscale can host a variety of intriguing phenomena. The superconducting transition is marked by a broad percolative transition with a long tail of the resistivity as function of the temperature. The fragile filamentary superconducting clusters, forming at low temperature, can be strengthened further by proximity effect with the surrounding metallic background, leading to an enhancement of the superfluid stiffness well below the percolative transition. Finite-frequency dissipation effects, e.g., related to the appearance of thermally excited vortices, can also significantly contribute to the resulting physics. Here, we propose a random impedance model to investigate the role of dissipation effects in the formation and strengthening of fragile superconducting clusters, discussing the solution within the effective medium theory.

Keywords

• inhomogeneous superconductivity
• nanoscale inhomogeneity
• percolation
• optical response of superconductors
• superfluid stiffness
• dissipation in inhomogeneous superconductors