P-wave Pairing States Research Articles

Supercurrent-Induced Weyl Superconductivity

We show that Weyl superconductivity can be induced by finite supercurrent in noncentrosymmetric spin–orbit-coupled superconductors with line nodes. We introduce a three-dimensional tight-binding model of a tetragonal superconductor in a D+p-wave pairing state with a finite center-of-mass momentum, and elucidate that a line-nodal to point-nodal spectral transition occurs by applying an infinitesimal supercurrent. We also clarify that the higher-order effect in spin–orbit coupling is particularly important for this phenomenon. The point nodes are protected by topologically nontrivial Weyl charges, and therefore gapless arc states appear on the surface of the superconductor. Furthermore, both the positions and the Weyl charges of the point nodes depend on the direction of the current. In addition, a quantized Berry phase defined on high-symmetry planes characterizes the Weyl nodes when the in-plane supercurrent is considered. Our proposition paves a new way for controlling the superconducting gap structures by using an external field.

Kondo screening cloud in a superconductor with mixed s-wave and p-wave pairing states

We study the Kondo screening of a spin-1/2 magnetic impurity coupled to a superconductor, which is fabricated by combination of an s-wave superconductor, a ferromagnet and a semiconductor with Rashba spin–orbit coupling (RSOC). The proximity induced superconducting states include the s-wave and p-wave pairing components with the aids of RSOC, and the ferromagnet induces a Zeeman field which removes the spin degeneracy of the quasiparticles in the triplet states. Thus, the Kondo screening of magnetic impurity involves the orbital degrees of freedom, and is also affected by the Zeeman field. Using the variational method, we calculate the binding energy and the spin–spin correlation between the magnetic impurity and the electrons in the coexisting s-wave and p-wave pairing states. We find that Kondo singlet forms more easily with stronger RSOC, but Zeeman field in general decreases the binding energy. The spin–spin correlation decays fast in the vicinity of the magnetic impurity. Due to the RSOC, the spatial spin–spin correlation becomes highly anisotropic, and the Zeeman field can induce extra asymmetry to the off-diagonal components of the spin–spin correlation. Our study can offer some insights into the studies of extrinsic topological superconductors fabricated from the hybrid structures containing chains of magnetic impurities.

Flux-dependent evolution of mixed pairing orders in mesoscopic superconducting square loops

Based on a model Hamiltonian including the on-site repulsive interaction among the electrons, we investigate the flux-dependent evolution of mixed pairing orders in mesoscopic superconducting square loops by numerically solving the Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations. The influence of centered hole size on the order modulation is mainly discussed. For the emergent spin-triplet p-wave and subdominant spin-singlet d-wave pairing states in the present loop system with an enlarged hole size, the order-parameter patterns always behave the diagonal symmetry. In addition, the obtained vortical and skyrmionic configurations inside the sample along one of diagonal directions can be effectively tuned by the chosen chemical potential and the next-nearest-neighbor hopping effect.

Spin-orbit coupling and spin-triplet pairing symmetry in Sr2RuO4

Spin-orbit coupling (SOC) plays a crucial role in determining the spin structure of an odd parity psedospin-triplet Cooper pairing state. Here, we present a thorough study of how SOC lifts the degeneracy among different p-wave pseudospin-triplet pairing states in a widely used microscopic model for $\mathrm{Sr_2 Ru O_4}$, combining a Ginzburg-Landau (GL) free energy expansion, a symmetry analysis of the model, and numerical weak-coupling renormalization group (RG) and random phase approximation (RPA) calculations. These analyses are then used to critically re-examine previous numerical results on the stability of chiral p-wave pairing. The symmetry analysis can serve as a guide for future studies, especially numerical calculations, on the pairing instability in $\mathrm{Sr_2 Ru O_4}$ and can be useful for studying other multi-band spin-triplet superconductors where SOC plays an important role.

Influence of diffuse surface scattering on the stability of superconducting phases with spontaneous surface current generated by Andreev bound states

We report a theoretical study on the phase transition between superconducting states with and without spontaneous surface current. The phase transition takes place due to the formation of surface Andreev bound states in unconventional superconductors. Based on the quasiclassical theory of superconductivity, we examine the influence of atomic-scale surface roughness on the surface phase transition temperature $T_s$. To describe the surface effect, the boundary condition for the quasiclassical Green's function is parameterized in terms of specularity (the specular reflection probability in the normal state at the Fermi level). This boundary condition allows systematic study of the surface effect ranging from the specular limit to the diffuse limit. We show that diffuse quasiparticle scattering at a rough surface causes substantial reduction of $T_s$ in the d-wave pairing state of high-$T_c$ cuprate superconductors. We also consider a p-wave pairing state in which Andreev bound states similar to those in the d-wave state are generated. In contrast to the d-wave case, $T_s$ in the p-wave state is insensitive to the specularity. This is because the Andreev bound states in the p-wave superconductor are robust against diffuse scattering, as implied from symmetry consideration for odd-frequency Cooper pairs induced at the surface; the p-wave state has odd-frequency pairs with s-wave symmetry, while the d-wave state does not.

Direct Observation of Composite Fermions and Their Fully-Spin-Polarized Fermi Sea near ν=5/2.

The enigmatic even-denominator fractional quantum Hall state at Landau level filling factor ν=5/2 is arguably the most promising candidate for harboring Majorana quasiparticles with non-Abelian statistics and, thus, of potential use for topological quantum computing. The theoretical description of the ν=5/2 state is generally believed to involve a topological p-wave pairing of fully-spin-polarized composite fermions through their condensation into a non-Abelian Moore-Read Pfaffian state. There is, however, no direct and conclusive experimental evidence for the existence of composite fermions near ν=5/2 or for an underlying fully-spin-polarized Fermi sea. Here, we report the observation of composite fermions very near ν=5/2 through geometric resonance measurements and find that the measured Fermi wave vector provides direct demonstration of a Fermi sea with full spin polarization. This lends crucial credence to the model of 5/2 fractional quantum Hall effect as a topological p-wave paired state of composite fermions.

Two-dimensional Fermi gases near a p -wave resonance: Effect of quantum fluctuations

We study the stability of p-wave superfluidity against quantum fluctuations in two-dimensional Fermi gases near a p-wave Feshbach resonance . An analysis is carried out in the limit when the interchannel coupling is strong. By investigating the effective potential for the pairing field via the standard loop expansion, we show that a homogeneous p-wave pairing state becomes unstable when two-loop quantum fluctuations are taken into account. This is in contrast to the previously predicted $p + ip$ supefluid in the weak-coupling limit [V. Gurarie et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 230403 (2005)]. It implies a possible onset of instability at certain intermediate interchannel coupling strength. Alternatively, the instability can also be driven by lowering the particle density. We also discuss the validity of our analysis.

Bound state, phase separation and superconductivity in presence of Rashba spin-orbit coupling

We have investigated the phase diagram for the t−J model at low electronic densities in presence of Rashba spin-orbit coupling (RSOC). We have rigorously derived a bound state criterion which arises out of a competition between the kinetic energy of the electrons and the exchange coupling between them. Further, we have obtained that the phase diagram consists of three phases, namely, a gas of electrons, a gas of bound pairs, and a fully phase separated state. Subsequently an extension of the pairing scenario is done at finite densities by solving a BCS gap equation. Finite superconducting correlations are observed for J values much lower than that required for the formation of a single bound pair, thereby indicating that pairing in a many particle environment requires weaker interaction strengths than that in the dilute case. We have further obtained that the RSOC increases the transition temperature for a p-wave pairing state, while it diminishes the same for an s-wave pairing correlations.

21pAG-11 ディラック電子系におけるバレー内ペアリングによるp波超伝導状態

21pAG-11 ディラック電子系におけるバレー内ペアリングによるp波超伝導状態

Snake states and their symmetries in graphene

Snake states are open trajectories for charged particles propagating in two dimensions under the influence of a spatially varying perpendicular magnetic field. In the quantum limit they are protected edge modes that separate topologically inequivalent ground states and can also occur when the particle density rather than the field is made nonuniform. We examine the correspondence of snake trajectories in single-layer graphene in the quantum limit for two families of domain walls: (a) a uniform doped carrier density in an antisymmetric field profile and (b) antisymmetric carrier distribution in a uniform field. These families support different internal symmetries but the same pattern of boundary and interface currents. We demonstrate that these physically different situations are gauge equivalent when rewritten in a Nambu doubled formulation of the two limiting problems. Using gauge transformations in particle-hole space to connect these problems, we map the protected interfacial modes to the Bogoliubov quasiparticles of an interfacial one-dimensional p-wave paired state. A variational model is introduced to interpret the interfacial solutions of both domain wall problems.

Composite Fermion Theory of Exotic Fractional Quantum Hall Effect

The fractional quantum Hall effect (FQHE) arises from strong correlations between electrons when they are confined to two dimensions and exposed to a strong magnetic field. The underlying physics is the formation of topological particles called composite fermions (CFs), electron-vortex bound states whose integer quantum Hall effect explains a large majority of the observed FQHE states. In recent years, the focus has shifted to the more exotic states that originate from a weak residual interaction between composite fermions. These include chiral p-wave paired states of composite fermions at certain even denominator fractions, unconventional FQHE of composite fermions, and a series of CF crystals at low fillings. Aside from these states, we also review the FQHE in multicomponent systems, which has attracted renewed attention because of the observation of well-developed FQHE in several multivalley systems, such as graphene and AlAs quantum wells.

Doping and Raman scattering of strong spin-orbit-coupling compound Sr2-xLaxIrO4

Novel unconventional physical phenomena, such as metal-insulator transition, high temperature superconductivity, colossal magneto-resistance and quantum criticality, are usually found in transition metal oxides (TMOs) with layered perovskite structures. Great success has been achieved in 3d TMOs, in which the localized 3d states yield strongly correlated narrow bands with a large on-site Coulomb repulsion U and a small band width W. Anomalous insulating behaviors are reported in the 5d TMOs, such as Sr2IrO4 system, which is surprising since the 5d TMOs are usually considered as weakly correlated wide band systems with largely reduced on-site Coulomb repulsion U due to delocalized 5d states. The crystal structure of Sr2IrO4 consists of two-dimensional (2D) IrO2 layers, similar to the parent compound La2CuO4 of the cuprates. Theoretically, a variational Monte Carlo study of Sr2IrO4 suggests that d-wave like superconductivity may appear but only within a narrow region of electron doping. In contrast, an s±*-wave phase is established for hole doping deduced from functional renormalization group, and triggered by spin fluctuations within and across the two conduction bands. Moreover, triplet p-wave pairing state with relatively high transition temperature emerges on the hole-doped side when the Hund's coupling is comparable to spin-orbit coupling. Several experiments are tried to search for the predicted unconventional superconductivity due to both electron-and hole-doping. However, to the best of our knowledge, it has not been found yet in the carrier-doped Sr2IrO4 system. Hence, more detailed studies are needed to explore the potential superconductivity.#br#A series of La doped Sr2-xLaxIrO4 samples is synthesized based on solid state reaction method. The evolution of the crystal structure is studied by the X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, together with the Raman spectrum. It is found that the crystal constant of the c-axis decreases with increasing doping level as well as the apical Ir—O1 bond length, indicating the lattice construction. Moreover, the distortion of the IrO6 octahedron reduces with increasing doping level. Therefore, blue shift occurs of the Raman scattering peaks. The temperature dependence of the Raman spectrum is also studied. It is found that the frequencies of the A1g and B1g vibration modes increase with temperature decreasing and an abnormal jump occurs around 110 K, which is believed to be correlated with the structural change and the magnetic transition around this temperature.

Possible realization of a chiralp-wave paired state in a two-component system

There is much interest in the realization of systems with p-wave pairing in one dimension or chiral p-wave pairing in two dimensions, because these are believed to support Majorana modes at the ends or inside vortices. We consider a two component system of composite fermions and provide theoretical evidence that, under appropriate conditions, the screened interaction between the minority composite fermions is such as to produce an almost exact realization of p-wave paired state described by the so-called anti-Pfaffian wave function. This state is predicted to occur at filling $\nu=3/8$ or 13/8 in GaAs when the Zeeman energy is sufficiently small, and at $\nu=\pm 3/8$ or $\pm 13/8$ in single layer graphene when either the Zeeman or the valley splitting is sufficiently small.

Spin Josephson effect in topological superconductor-ferromagnet junction

The composite topological superconductor (TS), made of one-dimensional spin-orbit coupled nanowire with proximity-induced s-wave superconductivity, is not a pure p-wave superconductor but still has a suppressed s-wave pairing. We propose to probe the spin texture of the p-wave pairing in this composite TS by examining possible spin supercurrents in an unbiased TS/ferromagnet junction. It is found that both the exchange-coupling induced and spin-flip reflection induced spin currents exist in the setup and survive even in the topological phase. We showed that besides the nontrivial p-wave pairing state accounting for Majorana Fermions, there shall be a trivial p-wave pairing state that contributes to spin supercurrent. The trivial p-wave pairing state is diagnosed from the mixing effect between the suppressed s-wave pairing and the topologically nontrivial p-wave pairing. The d vector of the TS is proved not to be rigorously perpendicular to the spin projection of p-wave pairings. Our findings are also confirmed by the Kitaev's p-wave model with a nonzero s-wave pairing.

Spin-Injection Spectroscopy of a Spin-Orbit Coupled Fermi Gas

The coupling of the spin of electrons to their motional state lies at the heart of recently discovered topological phases of matter. Here we create and detect spin-orbit coupling in an atomic Fermi gas, a highly controllable form of quantum degenerate matter. We directly reveal the spin-orbit gap via spin-injection spectroscopy, which characterizes the energy-momentum dispersion and spin composition of the quantum states. For energies within the spin-orbit gap, the system acts as a spin diode. We also create a spin-orbit coupled lattice and probe its spinful band structure, which features additional spin gaps and a fully gapped spectrum. In the presence of s-wave interactions, such systems should display induced p-wave pairing, topological superfluidity, and Majorana edge states.

Local transport characteristics of break junction in Sr2RuO4 microbridge

We have measured tunnel conductance of spin-triplet superconductor Sr2RuO4 (SRO) break junction which was made by micro fabrication technique with a focused ion beam. This is a new type of tunnel junctions made of SRO, which is different from those made of SRO and other materials. Since the tunnel conductance is sensitive to the internal phase of superconductivity, it enables us to examine the chiral p-wave pairing state, which is the most probable candidate of SRO. The tunnel conductance spectrum of the junction showed a broad zero-bias conductance peak whose shape is different from that of high-Tc cuprate superconductors. The shape of the spectrum is in quite good agreement with the calculated spectrum of a chiral p-wave/insulator/normal metal junction.

S-Duality Constraints on 1D Patterns Associated with Fractional Quantum Hall States

Using the modular invariance of the torus, constraints on the 1D patterns are derived that are associated with various fractional quantum Hall ground states, e.g., through the thin torus limit. In the simplest case, these constraints enforce the well-known odd-denominator rule, which is seen to be a necessary property of all 1D patterns associated to quantum Hall states with minimum torus degeneracy. However, the same constraints also have implications for the non-Abelian states possible within this framework. In simple cases, including the ν=1 Moore-Read state and the ν=3/2 level 3 Read-Rezayi state, the filling factor and the torus degeneracy uniquely specify the possible patterns, and thus all physical properties that are encoded in them. It is also shown that some states, such as the "strong p-wave pairing state," cannot in principle be described through 1D patterns.

Gauge symmetry in Kitaev-type spin models and index theorems on odd manifolds

We construct an exactly soluble spin- 1 2 model on a honeycomb lattice, which is a generalization of Kitaev model. The topological phases of the system are analyzed by study of the ground state sector of this model, the vortex-free states. Basically, there are two phases, A phase and B phase. The behaviors of both A and B phases may be studied by mapping the ground state sector into a general p-wave paired states of spinless fermions with tunable pairing parameters on a square lattice. In this p-wave paired state theory, the A phase is shown to be the strong paired phase, an insulating phase. The B phase may be either gapped or gapless determined by the generalized inversion symmetry is broken or not. The gapped B is the weak pairing phase described by either the Moore–Read Pfaffian state of the spinless fermions or anti-Pfaffian state of holes depending on the sign of the next nearest neighbor hopping amplitude. A phase transition between Pfaffian and anti-Pfaffian states are found in the gapped B phase. Furthermore, we show that there is a hidden SU(2) gauge symmetry in our model. In the gapped B phase, the ground state has a non-trivial topological number, the spectral first Chern number or the chiral central charge, which reflects the chiral anomaly of the edge state. We proved that the topological number is identified to the reduced eta-invariant and this anomaly may be cancelled by a bulk Wess–Zumino term of SO(3) group through an index theorem in 2 + 1 dimensions.

Possible Pairing Symmetry of Three-dimensional Superconductor UPt3 –Analysis Based on a Microscopic Calculation–

Stimulated by the anomalous superconducting properties of UPt$_3$, we investigate the pairing symmetry and the transition temperature in the two-dimensional(2D) and three-dimensional(3D) hexagonal Hubbard model. We solve the Eliashberg equation using the third order perturbation theory with respect to the on-site repulsion $U$. As results of the 2D calculation, we obtain distinct two types of stable spin-triplet pairing states. One is the $f$-wave(B$_1$) pairing around $n = 1.2$ and in a small $U$ region, which is caused by the ferromagnetic fluctuation. Then, the other is the $p_x$(or $p_y$)-wave(E$_1$) pairing in large $U$ region far from the half-filling ($n = 1$) which is caused by the vertex corrections only. However, we find that the former $f$-wave pairing is destroyed by introduced 3D dispersion. This is because the 3D dispersion breaks the favorable structures for the $f$-wave pairing such as the van Hove singularities and the small pocket structures. Thus, we conclude that the ferromagnetic fluctuation mediated spin-triplet state can not explain the superconductivity of UPt$_3$. We also study the case of the pairing symmetry with a polar gap. This $p_z$-wave(A$_1$) is stabilized by the large hopping integral along c-axis $t_z$. It is nearly degenerate with the suppressed $p_x$(or $p_y$)-wave(E$_1$) in the best fitting parameter region to UPt$_3$ ($1.3 \le t_z \le 1.5$). These two p-wave pairing states exist in the region far from the half-filling, in which the vertex correction terms play crucial roles like the case in Sr$_2$RuO$_4$.

P-wave superconductivity in a two-dimensional generalized Hubbard model

In this Letter, we consider a two-dimensional Hubbard model that includes a second-neighbor correlated hopping interaction, and we find a triplet p-wave superconducting ground state within the BCS formalism. A small distortion of the square-lattice right angles is introduced in order to break the degeneracy of k x ± k y oriented p-wave pairing states. For the strong coupling limit, analytical results are obtained. An analysis of the superconducting critical temperature reveals the existence of an optimal electron density and the gap ratio exhibits a non-BCS behavior. Finally, the particular case of strontium ruthenate is examined.