We report intimate relations between topological properties of full gapped spin-triplet superconductors with time-reversal invariance and the Fermi surface topology in the normal states. An efficient method to calculate the Z2 invariants and the winding number for the spin-triplet superconductors is developed, and connections between these topological invariants and the Fermi surface structures in the normal states are pointed out. We also obtain a correspondence between the Fermi surface topology and gapless surface states in the superconducting states. The correspondence is inherent to spin-triplet superconductivity.
We predict a novel type of Josephson effect to occur in triplet superconductor - ferromagnet - triplet superconductor Josephson junctions. We show that the Josephson current, I_J, exhibits a rich dependence on the relative orientation between the ferromagnetic moment and the d-vectors of the superconductors. This dependence can be used to build several types of Josephson current switches. Moreover, we predict an unconventional temperature dependence of I_J in which I_J changes sign with increasing temperature
The Josephson effect between triplet and singlet superconductors is studied. Josephson current can flow between triplet and singlet superconductors due to the spin-orbit coupling in the spin-triplet superconductor but it is finite only when triplet superconductor has $L_z=-S_z=\pm 1$, where $L_z$ and $S_z$ are the perpendicular components of orbital angular momentum and spin angular momentum of the triplet Cooper pairs, respectively. The recently observed temperature and orientational dependence of the critical current through a Josephson junction between UPt$_3$ and Nb is investigated by cons…
We analyze the proximity effect of superconductor/ferromagnet nanostructures and point out that the scattering of quasiparticle of spin-triplet pairs by local magnetic moments leads to large resistance peak slightly below the superconducting transition temperature of the superconductor. Both the temperature and the magnitude of the resistance peak decrease with increasing magnetic field, which agree quite well with the experimental results reported in [Nature Phys. 6, 389 (2010)].
This paper theoretically discusses the spin current in spin-triplet superconductor / insulator / spin-triplet superconductor junctions. At low temperatures, a midgap Andreev resonant state anomalously enhances not only the charge current but also the spin current. The coupling between the Cooper pairs and the electromagnetic fields leads to the Frounhofer pattern in the direct current spin flow in magnetic fields and the alternative spin current under applied bias-voltages.
We consider some properties of odd frequency triplet superconducting condensates. In order to describe fluctuations we construct a supermatrix sigma-model for the superconductor/ferromagnet or superconductor/normal-metal structures. We show that an odd frequency triplet superconductor, when in isolation or coupled to a normal metal, generally displays behaviour comparable to a superconductor with the usual singlet pairings. However, for spin dependent systems such as the superconductor/ferromagnet the two types of superconductor have quite different behaviour. We discuss this difference by con…
We calculate the tunneling conductance spectra of a normal-metal/insulator/triplet superconductor using the Blonder-Tinkham-Klapwijk (BTK) formulation. Possible states for the superconductor are considered with horizontal lines of nodes, breaking the time reversal symmetry. These results would be useful to discriminate between pairing states in superonductor Sr$_2$RuO$_4$ and also in UPt$_3$.
Using the $ϕ$-mapping method, we argue that ferromagnetic spin-triplet superconductors allow formation of unstable magnetic monopoles. In particular, we show that the limit points and the bifurcation points of the $ϕ$-mapping will serve as the interaction points of these magnetic monopoles.
We demonstrate that in multilayered superconductor-ferromagnet structures a non-collinear alignment of the magnetizations of different ferromagnetic layers generates a triplet superconducting condensate which is odd in frequency. This triplet condensate coexists in the superconductors with the conventional singlet one but decays very slowly in the ferromagnet, which should lead to a large Josephson effect between the superconductors separated by the ferromagnet. Depending on the mutual direction of the ferromagnetic moments the Josephson coupling can be both of 0 and $π$ type.
We study the current-phase relation of a ballistic SIFIT junction, consisting of a spin-singlet superconductor (S), a weak ferromagnetic metal (F), a spin-triplet superconductor (T), and insulating ferromagnetic interfaces (I). We use the generalized quasiclassical formalism developed by A. Millis et al. to compute the current density and the free energy of the junction for arbitrary orientation of the magnetizations of the junction barrier. We investigate in detail the effect of the distribution of magnetization on the various harmonics of the current-phase relation and the transition of the …
We study the Josephson effect in a triplet superconductor--ferromagnet--singlet superconductor junction. We show that the interaction of tunneling Cooper pairs with the interface magnetization can permit a Josephson current at the lowest order of a tunneling Hamiltonian perturbation theory. Two conditions must be satisfied for this to occur: the magnetization of the ferromagnet has a component parallel to the ${\bf d}$-vector of the triplet superconductor, and the gaps of the superconductors have the same parity with respect to the interface momentum. The resulting charge current displays an u…
Magnetic susceptibility, entropy and specific heat are calculated at the equilibrium points of phase transition to a phase of coexistence of ferromagnetic order and superconductivity in a new class of spin-triplet ferromagnetic superconductors. The results are discussed in view of application to metallic ferromagnets as UGe$_2$, ZrZn$_2$, URhGe.
A prime category of superconducting materials in which to look for spin-triplet pairing and topological superconductivity are superconductors without inversion symmetry. It is predicted that the breaking of parity symmetry gives rise to an admixture of spin-singlet / spin-triplet pairing states; a triplet pairing component, being substantial, seems all but guaranteed. However, the experimental confirmation of pair mixing in any particular material remains elusive. In this work, we perform phase-sensitive experiment to examine the pairing state of noncentrosymmetric superconductor $α-$BiPd. The…
We investigate thermodynamic phases, including the phase of coexistence of superconductivity and ferromagnetism, the possible phase transitions of first and second order, and the shape of the phase diagram in mean-field approximation for a phenomenological model of spin-triplet ferromagnetic superconductors. The results are discussed in view of application to metallic ferromagnets as UGe$_2$, ZrZn$_2$, URhGe, and Fe.
Quasi-low-dimensional type II superconductors in parallel magnetic fields are studied when singlet pairing interactions and relatively weak triplet pairing interactions coexist. Singlet and triplet components of order parameter are mixed at high fields, and at the same time an inhomogeneous superconducting state called a Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov state occurs. As a result, the triplet pairing interactions enhance the upper critical field of superconductivity remarkably even at temperatures far above the transition temperature of parallel spin pairing. It is found that the enhancement is…
We have studied a general property of unconventional superconductors with spin-orbit coupling by solving the Bogoliubov-de Gennes equation and found that the two of four eigenfunctions for triplet pairing coincide with those for s-wave pairing when a relation holds between pairing symmetry and spin-orbit coupling, indicative of an intrinsically s-wave like property of triplet superconductors. Applying the result, we have studied the tunneling conductance in normal metal / insulator / unconventional superconductor junctions with a candidate of pairing symmetry of CePt$_3$Si. The effect of Rashb…
A possible mechanism for the horizontal line nodes in triplet superconductor, Sr$_2$RuO$_4$, is proposed. We consider the interlayer Coulomb interaction, as well as the on-site Coulomb repulsion, between electrons in different bands. In the second order perturbation in the interband interaction, the effective interaction becomes dependent on $\cos \frac{q_z}{2}$, resulting in the horizontal line nodes.
We calculate the tunneling conductance spectra of a normal metal / insulator / triplet superconductor from the reflection amplitudes using the Blonder-Tinkham-Klapwijk (BTK) formula. For the triplet superconductor we assume one special p-wave order parameter having line nodes and two two dimensional $f$-wave order parameters with line nodes breaking the time-reversal symmetry. Also we examine nodeless pairing potentials. The tunneling peaks are due to the formation of bound states for each surface orientation at discrete quasiparticles trajectory angles. The tunneling spectra can be used to di…
Charge transport properties of a diffusive normal metal /triplet superconductor (DN/TS) junction are studied based on the Keldysh-Nambu quasiclassical Green's function formalism. % Contrary to the unconventional singlet superconductor junction case, the mid gap Andreev resonant state (MARS) at the interface of the TS is shown to enhance the proximity effect in the DN. % The total resistance of the DN/TS junction is drastically reduced and is completely independent of the resistance of the DN in the extreme case. % Such anomalous transport accompanies a giant zero-bias peak in the conductance s…
We study the Raman spectra of spin-triplet superconductors in Sr$_2$RuO$_4$. The p-wave and f-wave symmetries are considered. We show that there is the clapping mode with frequency of $\sqrt{2} Δ(T)$ and $1.02 Δ(T)$ for p-wave and f-wave superconductors, respectively. This mode is visible as a huge resonance in the B1g and B2g modes of Raman spectra. We discuss the details of the Raman spectra in these superconducting states.
The discovery of noncentrosymmetric superconductors, such as CePt$_3$Si, and chiral superconductors, such as Sr$_2$RuO$_4$, calls for experimental methods to identify the presence of spin-triplet pairing. We here demonstrate a method which accomplishes this in an appealingly simple manner: a spin-sensitive proximity effect in a ferromagnet$\mid$triplet superconductor bilayer. It is shown how the orientation of the field can be used to unambiguously distinguish between different spin-triplet states. Moreover, the proximity effect becomes long-ranged in spite of the presence of an exchange field…
The spin susceptibility in the uranium ferromagnet superconductors is calculated. There is shown that the absence of superconductivity paramagnetic limitation for the field directions perpendicular to the direction of the spontaneous magnetization is explained by the itinerant ferromagnet band splitting rather than by a rotation of magnetization toward the external field direction. The qualitative description of the upper critical field temperature dependence is given.
We examine a Josephson junction involving two arbitrary equal-spin-pairing unitary triplet superconductors and a ferromagnetic tunneling barrier. Using perturbation theory, we show how the interaction of the barrier moment with the spin of the tunneling triplet Cooper pairs can reverse the sign of the Josephson charge current. This also results in a Josephson spin current, which contains a phase-independent contribution due to reflection processes at the barrier. We verify our analytic predictions using a non-perturbative Bogoliubov-de Gennes method.
After a brief introduction on nodal superconductors, we review the topological defects in triplet superconductors such as UPt$_{3}$, Sr$_{2}$RuO$_{4}$, etc. This is in part motivated by the surprising discovery of Ana Celia Mota and her colleagues that in some triplet superconductors the flux motion is completely impeded (the ideal pinning). Among topological defects the most prominent is Abrikosov's vortex with quantum flux $ϕ_{0}= \frac{hc}{2e}$. Abrikosov's vortex is universal and ubiquitous and seen in both conventional and unconventional superconductors by the Bitter decoration technique,…
We construct a quasiclassical framework for topological superconductors with the strong spin-orbit coupling such as CuxBi2Se3. In the manner of the quasiclassical treatment, decomposing the slowly varying component from the total quasi-particle wave function, the original massive Dirac Bogoliubov-de Gennes (BdG) Hamiltonian derived from the tight-binding model represented by 8 x 8 matrix is reduced to 4 x 4 one. The resultant equations are equivalent to Andreev-type equations of singlet or triplet superconductors, in which the apparent spin-orbit coupling vanishes. Using this formalism, we fin…
Josephson effects in the spin-triplet superconductor/altermagnet/spin-triplet superconductor junctions: the detection of the intrinsic $\bf{d}$-vector
School of Science, Qingdao University of Technology(青岛理工大学理学院);International Center for Quantum Materials, School of Physics, Peking University(北京大学物理学院量子材料科学中心);Hefei National Laboratory(合肥国家实验室)
Considerable evidence for proximity-induced triplet superconductivity on the ferromagnetic side of a superconductor-ferromagnet (S-F) interface now exists; however, the corresponding effect on the superconductor side has hardly been addressed. We have performed scanning tunneling spectroscopy measurements on NbN superconducting thin films proximity coupled to the half-metallic ferromagnet La2/3Ca1/3MnO3 (LCMO) as a function of magnetic field. We have found that at zero and low applied magnetic fields the tunneling spectra on NbN typically show an anomalous gap structure with suppressed coheren…
We present a theoretical study of a ferromagnet/s-wave superconductor junction to investigate the signatures of induced triplet correlations in the system. We apply the extended BTK-formalism and allow for an arbitrary magnetization strength/direction of the ferromagnet, a spin-active barrier, Fermi-vector mismatch, and different effective masses in the two systems. It is found that the phase associated with the $xy$-components of the magnetization in the ferromagnet couples with the superconducting phase and induces spin-triplet pairing correlations in the superconductor, if the tunneling bar…
Charge and spin Josephson currents in a ballistic superconductor-ferromagnet-superconductor junction with spin-triplet pairing symmetry are studied using the quasiclassical Eilenberger equation. The gap vector of superconductors has an arbitrary relative angle with respect to magnetization of the ferromagnetic layer. We clarify the effects of the thickness of ferromagnetic layer and magnitude of the magnetization on the Josephson charge and spin currents. We find that 0-πtransition can occur except for the case that the exchange field and d-vector are in nearly perpendicular configuration. We …
We study triplet pairing correlations in clean Ferromagnet (F)/Superconductor (S) nanojunctions, via fully self consistent solution of the Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations. We consider FSF trilayers, with S being an s-wave superconductor, and an arbitrary angle $α$ between the magnetizations of the two F layers. We find that contrary to some previous expectations, triplet correlations, odd in time, are induced in both the S and F layers in the clean limit. We investigate their behavior as a function of time, position, and $α$. The triplet amplitudes are largest at times on the order of the inver…
Charge and spin transport in a junction involving two triplet superconductors and a ferromagnetic barrier are studied. We use Bogoliubov-de Gennes wavefunctions to construct the Green's function, from which we obtain the Josephson currents in terms of the Andreev reflection coefficients. We focus on the consequences of a finite barrier width for the occurrence of 0-πtransitions and for the spin currents, and examine the appropriateness of the common δ-function approximation for the tunneling region.
We report on the observation of bulk superconductivity from dc magnetization measurements in a cylindrical single crystal of CuxBi2Se3. The magnitude of the magnetization in the Meissner state is very small and the magnetic-field dependence of the magnetization just above the lower critical field Hc1 is very different from those of usual type-II superconductors. We studied the character of the vortex state theoretically in a spin-triplet pairing superconductor and compared it with the experimental results. The results showed that, the superconductivity observed in CuxBi2Se3 is consistent with …
We study induced triplet pairing correlations in clean ferromagnet/superconductor/ferromagnet heterostructures. The pairing state in the superconductor is the conventional singlet s-wave, and the angle $α$ between the magnetizations of the two ferromagnetic layers is arbitrary. We use a numerical fully self-consistent solution of the microscopic equations and obtain the time-dependent triplet correlations via the Heisenberg equations of motion. We find that in addition to the usual singlet correlations, triplet correlations, odd in time as required by the Pauli principle, are induced in both t…
We present direct imaging of magnetic flux structures in the anisotropic, spin-triplet superconductor Sr$_{2}$RuO$_{4}$ using a scanning $μ$SQUID microscope. Individual quantized vortices were seen at low magnetic fields. Coalescing vortices forming flux domains were revealed at intermediate fields. Based on our observations we suggest that a mechanism intrinsic to the material stabilizes the flux domains against the repulsive vortex-vortex interaction. Topological defects like domain walls can provide this, implying proof for unconventional chiral superconductivity.
We calculate the tunneling conductance spectra of a ferromagnetic metal / insulator / triplet superconductor from the reflection amplitudes using the Blonder-Tinkham-Klapwijk (BTK) formula. For the triplet superconductor, we assume one special $p$-wave order parameter, having line nodes, and two two dimensional $f$-wave order parameters with line nodes, breaking the time reversal symmetry. Also we examine nodeless pairing potentials. The evolution of the spectra with the exchange potential depends solely on the topology of the gap. The weak Andreev reflection within the ferromagnet results in …
Thin film junctions and bilayers of the doped topological insulator $\rm Bi_2Se_3$ and the s-wave superconductor NbN were found to exhibit conductance spectra with prominent zero bias and coherence peaks. Various tunneling models with different pair potentials have failed to fit our data, except for the triplet $p_x+ip_y$ pair potential, which breaks time reversal symmetry, but yielded reasonably good fits. This provides evidence for proximity induced triplet superconductivity in the $\rm Bi_2Se_3$ layer near the interface with the NbN film.
Symmetry of the order parameter in some triplet superconductors corresponds to doubly-degenerate chiral states. We predict that in a sufficiently small sample this degeneracy can be lifted via macroscopic quantum tunneling. Moreover, if the initial state is prepared correspondingly, 'instanton'-like quantum behavior is possible in a single-domain sample. In this case coherent oscillations of magnetic momentum should take place, as well as the sign alternations of the boundary currents. In particular, spontaneous Hall-effect recently predicted for ruthenates should posses the oscillating voltag…
We calculate the parallel upper critical magnetic field $H_{\parallel}(0)$ for an in-plane isotropic quasi-two-dimensional (Q2D) chiral triplet superconductor at zero temperature, $T=0$. In particular, the ratio $H_{\parallel}(0)/(|dH^{GL}_{\parallel}/dT|_{T=T_c}T_c) = 0.815$ is defined, where $|dH^{GL}_{\parallel}/dT|_{T=T_c}$ is the so-called Ginzburg-Landau slope of the upper critical magnetic field, $T_c$ is a superconducting transition temperature at $H=0$. We show that the theoretically obtained above mentioned value strongly contradicts to the experimentally measured ones in a candidate…
We study the Josephson effect of a $\rm{T_1 F T_2}$ junction, consisting of spin-triplet superconductors (T), a weak ferromagnetic metal (F), and ferromagnetic insulating interfaces. Two types of the triplet order parameters are considered; $(k_x +ik_y)\hat{z}$ and $k_x \hat{x}+k_y\hat{y}$. We compute the current density in the ballistic limit by using the generalized quasiclassical formalism developed to take into account the interference effect of the multilayered ferromagnetic junction. We discuss in detail how the current-phase relation is affected by orientations of the d-vectors of super…
Magnetic flux structures in single crystals of the layered spin triplet superconductor Sr$\_{2}$RuO$\_{4}$ are studied by scanning micro SQUID Force microscopy. Vortex chains appear as the applied field is tilted along the in-plane direction of the superconductor. The vortex chains align along the direction of the in-plane component of the applied magnetic field. The decoration of in-plane vortices by crossing Abrikosov vortices is observed: two vortex orientations are apparent simultaneously, one along the layers and the other perpendicular to the layers. The crossing vortices appear preferen…
We consider novel unusual effects in superconductor-ferromagnet (S/F) structures. In particular we analyze the triplet component (TC) of the condensate generated in those systems.This component is odd in frequency and even in the momentum, which makes it insensitive to non-magnetic impurities. If the exchange field is not homogeneous in the system the triplet component is not destroyed even by a strong exchange field and can penetrate the ferromagnet over long distances. Some other effects considered here and caused by the proximity effect are: enhancement of the Josephson current due to the p…
A common path to superconducting spintronics, Majorana fermions, and topologically-protected quantum computing relies on spin-triplet superconductivity. While naturally occurring spin-triplet pairing is elusive and even common spin-triplet candidates, such as Sr$_2$RuO$_4$, support alternative explanations, proximity effects in heterostructures can overcome these limitations. It is expected that robust spin-triplet superconductivity in magnetic junctions should rely on highly spin-polarized magnets or complex magnetic multilayers. Instead, we predict that the interplay of interfacial spin-orbi…
Recent results for the coexistence of ferromagnetism and unconventional superconductivity with spin-triplet Cooper pairing are reviewed on the basis of the quasi-phenomenological Ginzburg-Landau theory. New results are reported. The results are discussed in view of applications to metallic compounds as UGe2, URhGe, ZrZn2.
We modify and extend previous microscopic calculations of tunneling in superconducting junctions based on a non-equilibrium Green function formalism to include the case of spin-triplet pairing. We show that distinctive features are present in the I-V characteristics of different kinds of junctions, in particular when the effects of magnetic fields are taken into account, that permit to identify the type of pairing. We discuss the relevance of these results in the context of quasi one-dimensional organic superconductors like (TMTSF)_2(PF_6) and layered compounds like Sr_2RuO_4.
We apply the scattering matrix approach to the triplet proximity effect in superconductor-half metal structures. We find that for junctions that do not mix different orbital modes, the zero bias Andreev conductance vanishes, while the zero bias Josephson current is nonzero. We illustrate this finding on a ballistic half-metal--superconductor (HS) and superconductor -- half-metal -- superconductor (SHS) junction with translation invariance along the interfaces, and on HS and SHS systems where transport through the half-metallic region takes place through a single conducting channel. Our calcula…
Interfacing superconductors with strongly spin-polarized magnetic materials opens the possibility to discover new spintronic devices in which spin-triplet Cooper pairs play a key role. Motivated by the recent derivation of spin-polarized quasiclassical boundary conditions capable of describing such a scenario in the diffusive limit, we consider the emergent physics in hybrid structures comprised of a conventional s-wave superconductor (e.g. Nb, Al) and either strongly spin-polarized ferromagnetic insulators (e.g. EuO, GdN) or halfmetallic ferromagnets (e.g. CrO2, LCMO). In contrast to most pre…
We show that mixed-parity superconductors may exhibit equal-spin pair correlations that are odd-in-time and can be tuned by means of an applied field. The direction and the amplitude of the pair correlator in the spin space turn out to be strongly dependent on the symmetry of the order parameter, and thus provide a tool to identify different types of singlet-triplet mixed configurations. We find that odd-in-time spin-polarized pair correlations can be generated without magnetic inhomogeneities in superconducting/ferromagnetic hybrids when parity mixing is induced at the interface.
We study the Josephson effect in spin-singlet superconductor/helical $p$-wave superconductor junctions with a ferromagnetic barrier using the quasiclassical Green function method. It is found that both $\sinϕ$-type and $\cosϕ$-type current-phase relations always exist, irrespective of the gap symmetries in superconductors. The indispensable condition for the $\sinϕ$-type and $\cosϕ$-type current is that the magnetization must have a component parallel to the crystallographic $a$ or $b$ axis, which is distinct from the case of $p$-wave superconductor described by a $\vect{d}$-vector with a unif…
We examine the possibility that the superconductivity in the newly discovered FeAs materials may be caused by the Coulomb interaction between d-electrons of the iron atoms. We find that when the Hund's rule ferromagnetic interaction is strong enough, the leading pairing instability is in spin-triplet p-wave channel in the weak coupling limit. The resulting superconducting gap has nodal lines on the 3D Fermi surfaces. The k dependent hybridization of several orbitals around a Fermi pocket is the key for the appearance of the spin-triplet p-wave pairing.
We point out that ferromagnetic superconductors with triplet pairing and strong spin-orbit coupling are even in the simplest case at least two-band superconductors. The Gor'kov type formalism for such superconductors is developed and the Ginzburg-Landau equations are derived. The dependence of the critical temperature on the concentration of ordinary point-like impurities is found. Its nonuniversality could serve as a qualitative measure of the two-band character of ferromagnetic superconductors. The problem of the upper critical field determination is also discussed.
To clarify the superconducting gap structure of the spin-triplet superconductor Sr_2RuO_4, the in-plane thermal conductivity has been measured as a function of relative orientations of the thermal flow, the crystal axes, and a magnetic field rotating within the 2D RuO_2 planes. The in-plane variation of the thermal conductivity is incompatible with any model with line nodes vertical to the 2D planes and indicates the existence of horizontal nodes. These results place strong constraints on models that attempt to explain the mechanism of the triplet superconductivity.
The field dependence of the specific heat γ(H) at lower temperatures in Sr2RuO4 is analyzed by solving microscopic Eilenberger equation numerically. We find that systematic γ(H) behaviors from a concaved \sqrt H to a convex H^α (α>1) under H orientation change are understood by taking account of the Pauli paramagnetic effect. The magnetizations are shown to be consistent with it. This implies either a singlet pairing or a triplet one with d-vector locked in the basal plane, which allows us to explain other mysteries of this compound in a consistent way.
We theoretically study the electronic transport through a ferromagnet-Ising superconductor junction. A tight-binding Hamiltonian describing the Ising superconductor is presented. Then by combing the non-equilibrium Green's function method, the expressions of Andreev reflection coefficient and conductance are obtained. A strong magnetoanisotropic spin-triplet Andreev reflection is shown, and the magnetoanisotropic period is $π$ instead of $2π$ as in the conventional magnetoanisotropic system. We demonstrate a significant increase of the spin-triplet Andreev reflection for the single-band Ising …
We discuss collective spin wave excitations in triplet superconductors with an easy axis anisotropy for the order parameter. Using a microscopic model for interacting electrons we estimate the frequency of such excitations in Bechgaard salts and ruthenate superconductors to be one and twenty GHz respectively. We introduce an effective bosonic model to describe spin-wave excitations and calculate their contribution to the nuclear spin lattice relaxation rate. We find that in the experimentally relevant regime of temperatures, this mechanism leads to the power law scaling of 1/T_1 with temperatu…
Scaling relations are one of the hallmarks of nodal superconductivity since they contain information characteristic for gapless order parameters. In this paper we derive the scaling relations for the thermodynamics and the thermal conductivity in the vortex state of the A and B phases of the skutterudite PrOs4Sb12. Experimental confirmation of these scaling relations can provide further support for anisotropic gap functions which were previously considered for this material.
We investigate inverse proximity effects in a spin-triplet superconductor (TSC) interfaced with a ferromagnet (FM), assuming different types of magnetic profiles and chiral or helical pairings. The region of the coexistence of spin-triplet superconductivity and magnetism is significantly influenced by the orientation and spatial extension of the magnetization with respect to the spin configuration of the Cooper pairs, resulting into clearcut anisotropy signatures. A characteristic mark of the inverse proximity effect arises in the induced spin-polarization at the TSC interface. This is unexpec…
Applying the linearized Usadel equations, we consider the nucleation of superconductivity in multiply connected mesoscopic superconductor/ferromagnet (S/F) hybrids such as a thin superconducting ring on a ferromagnet with a uniform in-plane magnetization M and a spin-active S/F interface. We demonstrate that the exchange field in F provokes a switching between superconducting states with different vorticities which may increase the critical temperature ( Tc ) of the superconductor in a magnetic field. We study the interplay between oscillations in Tc due to the Little--Parks effect and oscilla…
The space-group approach to the wavefunction of a Cooper pair is extended to Shubnikov groups of type III and applied to newly discovered nearly ferromagnetic superconductor UTe2. A nonunitary triplet SOP (superconducting order parameter), manifested experimentally, was obtained for Shubnikov group m'm'm . The nodal structure of triplet nonunitary SOP is investigated and it was shown that in the case of Shubnikov III symmetry nodal structure of ESP (equal spin pairing) state is in some cases unstable, i.e. changes when a complex phase winding is added. The irreducible corepresentations of a Co…