  We study proximity-induced superconductivity in gold nanowires as a function
of the length of the nanowire, magnetic field, and excitation current. Short
nanowires exhibit a sharp superconducting transition, whereas long nanowires
show nonzero resistance. At intermediate lengths, however, we observe two sharp
transitions; the normal and superconducting regions are separated by what we
call the mini-gap phase. Additionally, we detect periodic oscillations in the
differential magnetoresistance. We provide a theoretical model for the mini-gap
phase as well as the periodic oscillations in terms of the coexistence of
proximity-induced superconductivity with a normal region near the center of the
wire, created either by temperature or application of a magnetic field.
