Identify the origin of the higher-energy, higher-field spectroscopic response

Determine whether the higher-energy and higher-field superconducting spectroscopic features observed in PdTe originate from surface superconductivity by establishing their relationship to the surface electronic structure and surface density of states.

Background

The point-contact spectra reveal a higher-energy superconducting component that remains detectable to fields above the scale associated with zero-resistance transport. The paper notes that this behavior could reflect a surface-sensitive contribution, particularly if PdTe has nodeless surface superconductivity that is more robust against magnetic fields than the bulk state. The authors leave unresolved whether the higher-energy and higher-field response is actually associated with surface superconductivity and state that microscopic studies are needed to resolve the issue.

References

Further microscopic studies of the surface electronic structure and surface density of states will be needed to determine whether the higher-energy and higher-field spectroscopic features observed here are associated with surface superconductivity.

— Field-resolved hierarchy of superconducting energy gaps in PdTe  (2610.12075 - Lee et al., 8 Oct 2026) in Section “Spectroscopic energy-scale hierarchy,” paragraph beginning “Although the single-gap p- and d-wave models”