Self-consistent electronic structure of multiquantum vortices in superconductors at T ≪ Tc

Abstract

We investigate the multiquantum vortex states in a type-II superconductor in both ‘clean’ and ‘dirty’ regimes defined by impurity scattering rate. Within a quasiclassical approach we calculate self-consistently the order parameter distributions and electronic local density of states (LDOS) profiles. In the clean case we find the low temperature vortex core anomaly predicted analytically by Volovik (1993 JETP Lett. 58 455) and obtain the patterns of LDOS distributions. In the dirty regime multiquantum vortices feature a peculiar plateau in the zero energy LDOS profile, which can be considered as an experimental hallmark of multiquantum vortex formation in mesoscopic superconductors.