Submillimeter - sized proximity effect in graphite and bismuth
In this work, we probe the electrical properties of macroscopic graphite and bismuth in which the electrical current is injected via superconducting electrodes, few millimeters apart from each other. Results reveal the induction of a partial superconducting-like transition in these semimetals, at ranges much above those expected for the conventional superconducting proximity effect. We characterize the phenomenon and compare our observations to measurements of antimony single crystals, which did not present such behavior.