Interplay between single-particle and two-particle tunneling in normal metal-d-wave superconductor junctions probed by shot noise

Abstract

We discuss how life-time broadening of quasiparticle states influences single- and two-particle current transport through zero-energy states at normal metal/d-wave superconductor junctions. We distinguish between intrinsic broadening (imaginary part $η$ of the energy), which couples the bound states with the superconducting reservoir, and broadening due to leakage through the junction barrier, which couples the bound states with the normal metal reservoir. We show that shot noise is highly sensitive to the mechanism of broadening, while the conductance is not. In the limit of small but finite intrinsic broadening, compared to the junction transparency $D$, $η/Δ_0\ll D$, the low-voltage shot noise at zero frequency and zero temperature becomes proportional to the magnitude $η$ of intrinsic broadening ($Δ_0$ is the maximum d-wave gap).