QUANTUM-FLUCTUATION EFFECTS ON THE TUNNELING CONDUCTIVITY ABOVE THE SUPERCONDUCTING TRANSITION

We study fluctuation effects above the transition temperature on the t unneling conductivity in two-dimensional metallic contacts. The exact frequency dependence of the electron phase relaxation time (pair break ing) due to superconducting fluctuations in impure metals is taken int o account. It is shown that corrections to the tunneling conductivity in symmetric and nonsymmetric contacts are modified drastically close to the transition temperature due to these dynamic pair-breaking effec ts (quantum-fluctuation effects). A new energy scale appears as a resu lt of the quantum-fluctuation effects, which leads to a peculiar tempe rature and magnetic-field dependence of the tunneling conductivity clo se to the transition.