LOCAL ELECTRONIC-STRUCTURE OF DEFECTS IN SUPERCONDUCTORS

The electronic structure near defects (such as impurities) in supercon ductors is explored using a fully self-consistent technique. This tech nique exploits the short-range nature of the impurity potential and of the induced change in the superconducting order parameter to calculat e features in the electronic structure down to the atomic scale with u nprecedented spectral resolution. Magnetic and nonmagnetic static impu rity potentials are considered, as well as local alterations in the pa iring interaction. Extensions to strong-coupling superconductors and s uperconductors with anisotropic order parameters are formulated.