Onset of Nernst Effect Beyond the Coherence Critical Field of a Nano-Scale Granular Superconductor

Abstract

We report measurements of the Nernst effect and of the magneto-resistance of granular aluminum films near the metal to insulator transition. These films show sharp transitions as a function of temperature and magnetic field. At low temperatures the Nernst signal displays a sharp peak at a field where more than 90% of the normal state resistance has been restored, suggesting a transition involving entropy transport after superconducting coherence has been destroyed. At temperatures higher than the critical temperature the fluctuation paraconductivity scales with the Nernst signal, in agreement with a description in terms of fluctuations of the order parameter.