RUI: Probing the Energy Gap of Clean Magnesium Diboride using High Resolution Tunneling Spectroscopy

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****TECHNICAL ABSTRACT****This project will investigate sub-structure in the superconducting energy gap of very clean samples of multi-gapped superconductors such as magnesium diboride (MgB2) and some iron-based superconductors. The energy gap is a key feature in the study of these novel materials and the results of these experiments can help validate existing theories, provide new data, and contribute to a better understanding of the role of gap distribution in multi-gapped superconductivity. Experiments will involve high-resolution tunneling spectroscopy made possible by cooling samples to low to very low (sub-Kelvin) temperatures and using high-resolution techniques of data acquisition. Samples will consist of thin film Josephson junctions to be obtained from several collaborators who are world leaders in the fabrication of high-quality samples. This research will be carried out at a primarily undergraduate institution, where undergraduate research is rapidly growing. This project will support the training of undergraduate and pre-college students and open physics research opportunities for women and minorities in a liberal arts environment where majority of students are women.****NON-TECHNICAL ABSTRACT****This project supports the experimental study of superconductors in a primarily undergraduate institution. The energy gap of a superconductor is an important property that enables us to better understand and apply these novel materials. While many superconductors have only a single energy gap, this research will probe, to very high resolution, the energy gap of multi-gapped superconductors such as magnesium diboride and some of the recently-discovered iron-based superconductors. This will be made possible by using very clean thin film Josephson junctions obtained from research collaborators who are world leaders in the fabrication of high-quality samples. The samples will be cooled to temperatures close to absolute zero and probed using tunneling spectroscopy and high-resolution data acquisition techniques. The results will help validate existing theories and provide new data to better understand multi-gapped superconductivity. This project supports the education and training of undergraduates in solid-state physics in a liberal arts setting where sixty-four percent of students are women. Undergraduates will receive training in low-noise electronics, cryogenics, and materials characterization skills needed for graduate studies or work in physics and many STEM fields. Furthermore, the educational component of this research makes possible a three-day summer science camp for middle school girls. The camp is designed to enhance the interest in science through interactive experiments and demonstrations of real-world physics, role-playing activities, laboratory tours, and other hands-on activities.