Kondo universal scaling for a quantum dot coupled to superconducting leads

Phys Rev Lett. 2007 Sep 28;99(13):136806. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.99.136806. Epub 2007 Sep 28.

Abstract

We study competition between the Kondo effect and superconductivity in a single self-assembled InAs quantum dot contacted with Al lateral electrodes. Because of Kondo enhancement of Andreev reflections, the zero-bias anomaly develops side peaks, separated by the superconducting gap energy Delta. For ten valleys of different Kondo temperature T(K) we tune the gap Delta with an external magnetic field. We find that the zero-bias conductance in each case collapses onto a single curve with Delta/k(B)T(K) as the only relevant energy scale, providing experimental evidence for universal scaling in this system.