Bound states in superconductors and interfaces

International Focus Workshop
8 - 10 April 2019

Quantum dots coupled to superconductors, heterostructures with superconducting elements, and superconducting weak links exhibit unique phenomena that originate from single-particle excitations existing inside the energy gap. These sub-gap bound states e.g. reveal a quantum phase transition from the BCS-like to singly-occupied configurations inducing a 0-$\pi$ transition, manifest the subtle interplay of the Kondo effect with electron pairing, lead to dynamical transitions driven by external perturbations, and  many other. This workshop brings together renowned experts of the Andreev and Josephson spectroscopies to exchange information on the state-of-the-art techniques and sophisticated computational methods for analysis of the Yu-Shiba-Rusinov states that are important for fundamental science and novel technological devices.  

• materials, devices and spectroscopy of sub-gap states
• interplay of pairing and correlations in single and coupled impurities
• spin polarization and magnetic-field dependence
• role of spin-orbit interactions
• dynamical effects
• transport properties and persistent currents
• superconducting islands, Cooper boxes and topological Kondo effect
• spatial extent and directionality of Yu-Shiba-Rusinov states
• Andreev scattering