Field dependence of the vortex core size probed by scanning tunneling microscopy

We study the spatial distribution of the density of states (DOS) at zero bias N(r) in the mixed state of single and multigap superconductors. We provide an analytic expression for N(r) based on deGennes' relationship between DOS and the order parameter that reproduces well scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) data in several superconducting materials. In the single gap superconductor β-Bi2Pd, we find that N(r) is governed by a length scale ξH=φ0/2πH, which decreases in rising fields. The vortex core size C, defined via the slope of the order parameter at the vortex center, C (dΔ/dr|r→0)-1, differs from ξH by a material dependent numerical factor. The new data on the tunneling conductance and…