The superconducting state of YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ

Many low temperature properties of high T_c superconductors deviate significantly from the detailed predictions of BCS theory. Here we discuss whether these effects could be caused by either: (a) an unconventional pairing state, or (b) local randomness in the gap function due to the intrinsic disorder. We review recent experiments pertinent to these questions: Josephson effects in (001) oriented planar junctions between YBa₂Cu₃O₇-δ and classic superconductors and the temperature dependence of the a-b plane electro-magnetic penetration depth at low temperatures. We also calculate the density of states of s-wave superconductors with local quenched disorder in the gap function so as to determine whether s-wave pairing could be consistent with the low energy quasiparticle excitations seen in many experiments.