Phase Fluctuations in a Strongly Disordered<mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mml:mi>s</mml:mi></mml:math>-Wave NbN Superconductor Close to the Metal-Insulator Transition

Abstract

We explore the role of phase fluctuations in a three-dimensional s-wave superconductor, NbN, as we approach the critical disorder for destruction of the superconducting state. Close to critical disorder, we observe a finite gap in the electronic spectrum which persists at temperatures well above T(c). The superfluid density is strongly suppressed at low temperatures and evolves towards a linear-T variation at higher temperatures. These observations provide strong evidence that phase fluctuations play a central role in the formation of a pseudogap state in a disordered s-wave superconductor.