2016/07/31 by Angelo Peronio, Franz J. Giessibl, Franz J. Gießibl · 2 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Force Microscopy Techniques and Applications #Mechanical and Optical Resonators #Surface and Thin Film Phenomena #cond-mat.mes-hall #cond-mat.supr-con
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevb.94.094503
published as Phys. Rev. B 94 (2016) 094503 · 7 pages, 5 figures. Minor amendments
openalex publication_date 2016/09/01 · arxiv created 2016/09/16 · arxiv updated 2016/09/19 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
We perform an experiment to test between two theories of the electrodynamics of superconductors: the standard London theory and an alternative proposed by J. E. Hirsch [Phys. Rev. B 69, 214515 (2004)]. The two alternatives give different predictions with respect to the screening of an electric field by a superconductor, and we try to detect this effect using atomic force microscopy on a niobium sample. We also perform the reverse experiment, where we demonstrate a superconductive tip mounted on a qPlus force sensor. Due to limited accuracy, we are able neither to prove nor to disprove Hirsch's hypothesis. Within our accuracy of 0.17 N/m, the superconductive transition does not alter the atomic-scale interaction between tip and sample.