Induced spectral gap and pairing correlations from superconducting proximity effect

We theoretically consider superconducting proximity effect, using the Bogoliubov-de Gennes (BdG) theory, in heterostructure sandwich-type geometries involving a normal s-wave superconductor and a nonsuperconducting material with the proximity effect being driven by Cooper pairs tunneling from the superconducting slab to the nonsuperconducting slab. Applications of the superconducting proximity effect may rely on an induced spectral gap or induced pairing correlations without any spectral gap. We clarify that in a nonsuperconducting material the induced spectral gap and pairing correlations are independent physical quantities arising from the proximity effect. This is a crucial issue in proposals to create topological superconductivity through the proximity effect. Heterostructures of three-dimensional topological insulator (TI) slabs on conventional s-wave superconductor (SC) substrates provide a platform, with proximity-induced topological superconductivity expected to be observed on the "naked" top surface of a thin TI slab. We theoretically study the induced superconducting gap on this naked surface. In addition, we compare against the induced spectral gap in heterostructures of SC with a normal metal or a semiconductor with strong spin-orbit coupling and a Zeeman splitting potential (another promising platform for topological superconductivity). We find that for any model for the non-SC metal (including metallic TI) the induced spectral gap on the naked surface decays as L-3 as the thickness (L) of the non-SC slab is increased in contrast to the slower 1/L decay of the pairing correlations. Our distinction between proximity-induced spectral gap (with its faster spatial decay) and pairing correlation (with its slower spatial decay) has important implications for the currently active search for topological superconductivity and Majorana fermions in various superconducting heterostructures.