Large spatial extension of the zero-energy Yu–Shiba–Rusinov state in a magnetic field

Abstract

Various promising qubit concepts have been put forward recently based on engineered superconductor subgap states like Andreev bound states, Majorana zero modes or the Yu-Shiba-Rusinov (Shiba) states. The coupling of these subgap states via a superconductor strongly depends on their spatial extension and is an essential next step for future quantum technologies. Here we investigate the spatial extension of a Shiba state in a semiconductor quantum dot coupled to a superconductor. With detailed transport measurements and numerical renormalization group calculations we find a remarkable more than 50 nm extension of the zero energy Shiba state, much larger than the one observed in very recent scanning tunneling microscopy measurements. Moreover, we demonstrate that its spatial extension increases substantially in a magnetic field.