Measurements of the magnetic-field-tuned conductivity of disordered two-dimensional Mo43Ge57 and InOx superconducting films: evidence for a universal minimum superfluid response

Phys Rev Lett. 2013 Jan 18;110(3):037002. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.037002. Epub 2013 Jan 14.

Abstract

Our measurements of the low frequency ac conductivity in strongly disordered two-dimensional films near the magnetic-field-tuned superconductor-to-insulator transition show a sudden drop in the phase stiffness of superconducting order with either increased temperature or magnetic field. Surprisingly, for two different material systems, the abrupt drop in the superfluid density in a magnetic field has the same universal value as that expected for a Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition in a zero magnetic field. The characteristic temperature at which phase stiffness is suddenly lost can be tuned to zero at a critical magnetic field, following a power-law behavior with a critical exponent consistent with that obtained in previous dc transport studies on the dissipative side of the transition.