We investigate theoretically the properties of s-wave multiband superconductors in the weak coupling (BCS) limit in the presence of pair-breaking effects of magnetic field. It is shown that a qualitatively new gapless superconducting state must appear in quasi-2D superconductors in magnetic fields parallel to the plane, corresponding to a Sarma state induced on one of the Fermi surfaces. The emergence of the new state in s-wave multiband superconductors in the absence of anisotropy or spin-orbit interaction is usually accompanied by a zero-temperature first-order metamagnetic phase transition. For anisotropic or non s-wave multiband superconductors the order of the zero-temperature metamagnetic transition depends on model parameters, and it may take the form of a smooth crossover. The details of the temperature-magnetic field phase diagram for multiband superconductors are investigated analytically at zero temperature and numerically at a finite temperature. It is shown the zero-temperatures first-order phase transition gives rise to a critical region on the B-T phase diagram. We suggest possible experiments to detect the new gapless state.
This article reviews theoretical and experimental work on the novel physics in multiband superconductors. Multiband superconductors are characterized by multiple superconducting energy gaps in different bands with interaction between Cooper pairs in these bands. The discovery of prominent multiband superconductors $\mathrm{MgB_2}$ and later iron-based superconductors has triggered enormous interests in multiband superconductors. Most recently discovered superconductors exhibit multiband features. The multiband superconductors possess novel properties that are not shared by their single-band co…
The tunneling conductance between a metal and a multiband s-wave superconductor with a thin layer of single-band s-wave superconductor sandwiched in between is examined in this paper. We show that an in-gap peak in conductance curve is found as a result of the formation of in-gap bound state between the single-band and multiband superconductor junctions if the phases of the superconducting order parameters of the multiband superconductor are frustrated. The implication of this result in determining the gap symmetry of the iron-based superconductors is discussed.
We propose that a new state with a fully gapless Fermi surface appears in quasi-2D multiband superconductors in magnetic field applied parallel to the plane. It is characterized by a paramagnetic moment caused by a finite density of states on the open Fermi surface. We calculate thermodynamic and magnetic properties of the gapless state for both s-wave and d-wave cases, and discuss the details of the 1-st order metamagnetic phase transition that accompanies the appearance of the new phase in s-wave superconductors. We suggest possible experiments to detect this state both in the s-wave (2-H Nb…
Original definition of the pseudogap [11,12] allowes to connect it conceptually with a topological insulator. It concerns the multiband superconductivity background with variable chemical potential position.
We performed model calculations of Raman responses for multiband 2D superconductors. The multiband effects of screening in the A_{1g} symmetry channel were investigated analytically and numerically for a band structure model mimicing ARPES data on iron-pnictide materials. An acceptable agreement between our model calculations and recent experimental data is demonstrated by modification of the band structure parameters.
I solved the Eliashberg equations for multiband non-phononic $s\pm$ wave spin glass superconductor and I calculated the temperature dependence of the gaps and superfluid density that reveals unusual behavior as non monotonic temperature dependence and reentrant superconductivity. For particular values of input parameters the phase diagram is still more complex with two different ranges of temperature where the superconductivity appears.
Magnetic properties of dirty multiband superconductors near the upper critical field are studied. The parameter $κ_2$ characterizing magnetization slope is shown to have a significant temperature variation which is quite sensitive to the pairing interactions and relative strengths of intraband impurity scattering. In contrast to single-band superconductors the increase of $κ_2$ at low temperatures can be arbitrary large determined by the ratio of minimal and maximal diffusion coefficients in different bands. Temperature dependencies of $κ_2(T)$ in two-band MgB$_2$ and iron-based superconductor…
It was recently shown that odd-frequency superconducting pair amplitudes can be induced in conventional superconductors subjected to a spatially-nonuniform time-dependent drive. It has also been shown that, in the presence of interband scattering, multiband superconductors will possess bulk odd-frequency superconducting pair amplitudes. In this work we build on these previous results to demonstrate that by subjecting a multiband superconductor with interband scattering to a time-dependent drive even-frequency pair amplitudes can be converted to odd-frequency pair amplitudes and vice versa. We …
The conductivity of vortex lattices in multiband superconductors with high concentration of impurities is calculated based on microscopic kinetic theory. Both the limits of high and low fields are considered, when the magnetic induction is close to or much smaller than the critical field strength $H_{c2}$, respectively. It is shown that in contrast to single-band superconductors the resistive properties are not universal but depend on the pairing constants and ratios of diffusivities in different bands. The low-field magneto-resistance can strongly exceed Bardeen-Stephen estimation in a quanti…
In a superconductor the third-harmonic generation (THG) of a strong THz pulse is enhanced below Tc by the resonant excitation of lattice-modulated charge fluctuations (LCF), which modulate the response according to the polarization of the field. Here we compute the THG within a multiband model for the prototype NbN superconductor. We show that the non-resonant contribution coming from the instantaneous electronic response and the finite width of the pulse significantly suppress the polarization dependence of the signal, challenging its observation in real systems.
We examine the effect of a single, non-magnetic impurity in a multiband, extended s-wave superconductor allowing for anisotropy of the gaps on the Fermi surfaces. We derive analytic expressions for the Green's functions in the continuum and analyse the conditions for the existence of sharp impurity-induced resonant states. Underlying band structure is more relevant for the multiband than for single band case, and mismatch between the bands generically makes the formation of the impurity states less likely in the physical regime of parameters. We confirm these conclusions by numerically solving…
Isotope effects in a multiband superconductor with a leading interband pairing channel are investigated. A relatively small electron-phonon contribution into the pair-transfer interaction can cause effects of observed magnitude. A multiband model which interpolates the cuprate properties is used for illustrative calculations. Isotope exponents of the transition temperature ($α$), supercarrier density ($α_n$), paired carrier effective mass ($α_m$) and of the penetration depth ($α_λ$) on the doping scale have been obtained. The known opposite trend of $α$ and $T_c$ is reflected. The trends of $α…
We present very low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) experiments on single crystalline samples of the superconductor $β$-Bi$_2$Pd. We find a single fully isotropic superconducting gap. However, the magnetic field dependence of the intervortex density of states is higher than the one expected in a single gap superconductor, and the hexagonal vortex lattice is locked to the square atomic lattice. Such increase in the intervortex density of states and vortex lattice locking have been found in superconductors with multiple superconducting gaps and anisotropic Fermi surfaces. We comp…
Motivated by the recent experimentally observed manifestations of the quantum critical point fluctuations in the thermodynamic properties of multiband superconductors, we derive a general expression for the Josephson current of various junctions between two superconductors in the phase of superconductivity coexistence with the spin-density-wave. We demonstrate that the critical current peaks at the quantum critical point that separates pure and mixed superconducting phases. We argue that our results are generic and, in particular, can be adopted to explain the recent observations of a nonmonot…
We investigate pairing mechanism in multiband superconductors. To put our feet on firm ground, unbiased renormalization group analysis is carried out for iron-based superconductors. It is quite remarkable that, after integrating out quantum fluctuations, the renormalization-group flows agree exceedingly well with a mean-field Hamiltonian where interband pair hopping plays an essential role. Through interband pair hopping, electrons can overcome the repulsive interaction between them and form resonating Cooper pairs between different bands. Unlike the conventional superconductors, the pairing m…
We show, that in contrast to the free electron model (standard BCS model), a particular gap in the spectrum of multiband superconductors opens at some distance from the Fermi energy, if conduction band is composed of hybridized atomic orbitals of different symmetries. This gap has composite superconducting-hybridization origin, because it exists only if both the superconductivity and the hybridization between different kinds of orbitals are present. So for many classes of superconductors with multiorbital structure such spectrum changes should take place. These particular changes in the spectr…
By using the time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau theory, we show that extremely diverse experimental data on flux-flow resistivity in multiband superconductors can be qualitatively explained by a composite nature of Abrikosov vortices consisting of elementary fractional vortices in different bands. In composite vortices, the ratio of a core size to electric field relaxation length is found to vary in wide limits depending on system parameters. As a result, the flux-flow magneto-resistance can strongly exceed the single-component Bardeen-Stephen estimation provided that moving vortices generate elec…
In type-1.5 superconductors, vortices emerge in clusters, which grow in size with increasing magnetic field. These novel vortex clusters and their field dependence are directly visualized by scanning SQUID microscopy at very low vortex densities in MgB2 single crystals. Our observations are elucidated by simulations based on a two-gap Ginzburg-Landau theory in the type-1.5 regime.
Chiral superconductors support chiral edge modes and potentially spontaneous edge currents at their boundaries. Motivated by the putative multiband chiral p-wave superconductor Sr$_2$RuO$_4$, we study the influence of the interference between different bands at the edges, which may appear in the presence of moderate edge disorder or in edge tunneling measurements. We show that interband interference can strongly modify the measurable quantities at the edges when the order parameter exhibits phase difference between the bands. This is illustrated by investigating the edge dispersion and the edg…
Superconductors, ideally diamagnetic when in the Meissner state, can also exhibit paramagnetic behavior due to trapped magnetic flux. In the absence of pinning such paramagnetic response is weak, and ceases with increasing sample thickness. Here we show that in multiband superconductors paramagnetic response can be observed even in slab geometries, and can be far larger than any previous estimate - even multiply larger than the diamagnetic Meissner response for the same applied magnetic field. We link the appearance of this giant paramagnetic response to the broad crossover between conventiona…
Vortices carrying fractions of a flux quantum are predicted to exist in multiband superconductors, where vortex core can split between multiple band-specific components of the superconducting condensate. Using the two-component Ginzburg-Landau model, we examine such vortex configurations in a two-band superconducting slab in parallel magnetic field. The fractional vortices appear due to the band-selective vortex penetration caused by different thresholds for vortex entry within each band-condensate, and stabilize near the edges of the sample. We show that the resulting fractional vortex config…
The recently discovered multiband superconductors have created a new class of novel superconductors. In these materials multiple superconducting gaps arise due to the formation of Cooper pairs on different sheets of the Fermi surfaces. An important feature of these superconductors is the interband couplings, which not only change the individual gap properties, but also create new collective modes. Here we investigate the effect of the interband couplings in the Ginzburg-Landau theory. We produce a general $τ^{(2n+1)/2}$ expansion ($τ= 1-T/T_c$) and show that this expansion has unexpected behav…
A procedure to derive the Ginzburg-Landau (GL) theory from the multiband BCS Hamiltonian is developed in a general case with an arbitrary number of bands and arbitrary interaction matrix. It combines the standard Gor'kov truncation and a subsequent reconstruction in order to match accuracies of the obtained terms. This reconstruction recovers the phenomenological GL theory as obtained from the Landau model of phase transitions but offers explicit microscopic expressions for the relevant parameters. Detailed calculations are presented for a three-band system treated as a prototype multiband sup…
We report 31P-NMR and specific heat measurements on an iron (Fe)-based superconductor SrFe2(As0.65P0.35)2 with Tc=26 K, which have revealed the development of antiferromagnetic correlations in the normal state and the unconventional superconductivity(SC) with nodal gap dominated by the gapless low-lying quasiparticle excitations. The results are consistently argued with an unconventional multiband SC state with the gap-size ratio of different bands being significantly large; the large full gaps in s\pm-wave state keep Tc high, whereas a small gap with a nodal-structure causes gapless feature u…
Between the different families of pnictide multiband superconductors, LiFeAs is probably one of the less understood. Indeed, despite the large amount of experiments performed in the last few years on this material, no consensus has been reached yet on the possible pairing mechanism at play in this system. Here we focus on the precursor effects of superconductivity visible in the transport experiments performed above Tc. By analyzing the superconducting fluctuations in a layered multiband model appropriate for this material, we argue that the strong two-dimensional character of the paraconducti…
The problem of Andreev reflection between a normal metal and a multiband superconductor is addressed. The appropriate matching conditions for the wave function at the interface are established on the basis of an extension of quantum waveguide theory to these systems. Interference effects between different bands of the superconductor manifest themselves in the conductance and the case of FeAs superconductors is specifically considered, in the framework of a recently proposed effective two-band model, in the sign-reversed s-wave pairing scenario. Resonant transmission through surface Andreev bou…
We show that the conclusion reported in Ref. 1, that there are no spontaneous magnetic fields in multiband superconductors that break time reversal symmetry, is incorrect. We demonstrate that the state proposed in Ref. 1 is not a solution of the Ginzburg-Landau equations for the considered model. The reason is that in Ref. 1 one of the Ginzburg-Landau equations is neglected and substituted by the spurious zero current restriction. This restriction together with all of the Ginzburg-Landau equations leads to an overdetermined system which does not have a solution. This inconsistency invalidates …
The order of the superconducting phase transition is a classical problem. Single-component type-2 superconductors exhibit a continuous "inverted-XY" phase transition, as was first demonstrated for U(1) lattice London superconductors by a celebrated duality mapping with subsequent backing by numerical simulations. Here we study this problem in multiband U(1) London superconductors and find evidence that by contrast the model has a tricritical point. The superconducting phase transition becomes first-order when the Josephson length is sufficiently large compared to the magnetic field penetration…
Motivated by recent experiments on heavy fermion materials CeCu$_2$Si$_2$ and UBe$_{13}$, we develop a framework to capture generic properties of multiband superconductors with strong Pauli paramagnetic effect (PPE). In contrast to the single band case, the upper critical field $H_{\rm c2}$ can remain second order transition even for strong PPE cases. The expected first order transition is hidden inside $H_{\rm c2}$ and becomes a crossover due to the interplay of multibandness. The present theory based on full self-consistent solutions of the microscopic Eilenberger theory explains several mys…
We report point contact Andreev Reflection (PCAR) measurements on a high-quality single crystal of the non-centrosymmetric superconductor Re6Zr. We observe that the PCAR spectra can be fitted by taking two isotropic superconducting gaps with Delta_1 ~ 0.79 meV and Delta_2 ~ 0.22 meV respectively, suggesting that there are at least two bands which contribute to superconductivity. Combined with the observation of time reversal symmetry breaking at the superconducting transition from muon spin relaxation measurements (Phys. Rev. Lett. 112, 107002 (2014)), our results imply an unconventional super…
We use a tunable laser ARPES to study the electronic properties of the prototypical multiband BCS superconductor MgB2. Our data reveal a strong renormalization of the dispersion (kink) at ~65 meV, which is caused by coupling of electrons to the E2g phonon mode. In contrast to cuprates, the 65 meV kink in MgB2 does not change significantly across Tc. More interestingly, we observe strong coupling to a second, lower energy collective mode at binding energy of 10 meV. This excitation vanishes above Tc and is likely a signature of the elusive Leggett mode.
We report real-space evidence for an in-plane vortex lattice (VL) transition in the multiband superconductor 2H-NbSe2, observed by laterally imaging subsurface vortices with scanning tunneling spectroscopy. With magnetic field applied || ab-surface up to 6.5 T at 300 mK, spatial maps of the zero-bias conductance revealed a stripe pattern whose dominant periodicity showed a discrete shift near 0.7 T. The stripes can be interpreted as the surface projection of a distorted hexagonal VL that undergoes a first-order reorientation transition. This transition occurs for field || [100] but not [110], …
We studied the effects of multiband electronic structure on the thermoelectric and electrical transport properties in the normal state of kagome superconductors $A$V$_3$Sb$_5$ ($A$ = K, Rb, Cs). In all three members, the multiband nature is manifested by sign changes in the temperature dependence of the Seebeck and Hall resistivity, together with sublinear response of the isothermal Nernst and Hall effects to external magnetic fields in the charge ordered state. Moreover, ambipolar transport effects appear ubiquitously in all three systems, giving rise to sizable Nernst signal. Finally, possib…
Traditionally, the characteristic length of a superconducting condensate is associated with the spatial distribution of the corresponding gap function. However, the superconducting condensate is the quantum condensate of Cooper pairs and thus, the broader readership is more familiar with the concept of the Cooper-pair wave function. For conventional single-band superconductors, the gap function coincides with the center-of-mass wave function of a Cooper pair up to the coupling constant, and the corresponding gap- and wave-function characteristic lengths are the same. Surprisingly, we find that…
We investigate the effect of isotope substitution on the electron-phonon interaction in the multi-band superconductor MgB2 using tunable laser based Angle Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy. The kink structure around 70 meV in the $σ$ band, which is caused by electron coupling to the E2g phonon mode, is shifted to higher binding energy by ~3.5 meV in Mg(10)B2 and the shift is not affected by superconducting transition. These results serve as the benchmark for investigations of isotope effects in known, unconventional superconductors and newly discovered superconductors where the origin of pai…
We show that superconductors with broken time-reversal symmetry have very specific magnetic and electric responses to inhomogeneous heating. A local heating of such superconductors induces a magnetic field with a profile that is sensitive to the presence of domain walls and crystalline anisotropy of superconducting states. A nonstationary heating process produces an electric field and a charge imbalance in different bands. These effects can be measured and used to distinguish $s+is$ and $s+id$ superconducting states in the candidate materials such as Ba$_{1-x}$K$_x$Fe$_2$As$_2$.
We present measurements of the specific heat coefficient γ(= C/T) in the low temperature limit as a function of an applied magnetic field for the Fe-based superconductor BaFe$_2$(As$_{0.7}$P$_{0.3}$)$_2$. We find both a linear regime at higher fields and a limiting square root $H$ behavior at very low fields. The crossover from a Volovik-like $\sqrt{H}$ to a linear field dependence can be understood from a multiband calculation in the quasiclassical approximation assuming gaps with different momentum dependence on the hole- and electron-like Fermi surface sheets.
We present a theoretical description of the London penetration depth of a multi-band superconductor in the case when both superconducting and spin-density wave orders coexist. We focus on clean systems and zero temperature to emphasize the effect of the two competing orders. Our calculation shows that the supefluid density closely follows the evolution of the superconducting order parameter as doping is increased, saturating to a BCS value in the pure superconducting state. Furthermore, we predict a strong anisotropic in-pane penetration depth induced by the spin-density wave order.
We consider the effect of isotropic impurity scattering on the exotic superconducting states that arise from the usual BCS mechanism in substances of cubic and hexagonal symmetry where the Fermi surface contains inequivalent but degenerate pockets (e.g. around several points of high symmetry). As examples we look at CeCo$_2$, CeRu$_2$, and LaB$_6$; all of which have such Fermi surface topologies and the former exhibits unconventional superconducting behavior. We find that while these non s-wave states are suppressed by non-magnetic impurities, the suppression is much weaker than would be expec…
In this article we review recent progress in the understanding of multiband superconductivity and its relationship to odd-frequency pairing. We begin our discussion by reviewing the emergence of odd-frequency pairing in a simple two-band model, providing a brief pedagogical overview of the formalism. We then examine several examples of multiband superconducting systems in each case describing, both, the origin of the band degree of freedom and the nature of the odd-frequency pairing. Throughout, we attempt to convey a unified picture of how odd-frequency pairing emerges in these materials and …
The impurity effects on the transition temperature Tc and the isotope effect are examined in multiband superconductors with magnetic and nonmagnetic impurities, where the effect of Coulomb repulsion is considered. It is shown that an internal transition of the superconducting state is induced by impurity doping, and that the transition is accompanied by a jump of the isotope-effect coefficient alpha. In particular, the transition is illustrated in a system with two electron bands. In some special cases, extended Abrikosov and Gor'kov (AG) equations for Tc and the expressions of the isotope-eff…
Contrary to the usual assumption, the electron Bloch states in crystals with spin-orbit coupling do not always transform under symmetry operations in the same way as the pure spin-1/2 states. This has profound consequences for the symmetry properties and nodal structure of superconductors, especially for the interband gap functions. Focusing on tetragonal superconductors, we show that the interband pairing in the conventional (s-wave) channel can have features which are traditionally associated with unconventional pairing, such as triplet components and odd parity, and can produce line nodes i…
In multiband superconductors, multiple collective modes exist associated with the multiple order parameters. Oscillations of the amplitude and the relative phase of the order parameters are called Higgs and Leggett modes, respectively. Recently, it has been suggested that nonmagnetic impurity scattering would enhance nonlinear coupling between the Higgs mode and an electromagnetic wave with a frequency located in the superconducting gap region, while its effect on the Leggett mode is still unresolved. Here, we theoretically investigated the nonlinear optical response of multiband Bardeen-Coope…
Point-contact spectroscopy was originally developed for the determination of the electron-phonon spectral function in normal metals. However, in the past 20 years it has become an important tool in the investigation of superconductors. As a matter of fact, point contacts between a normal metal and a superconductor can provide information on the amplitude and symmetry of the energy gap that, in the superconducting state, opens up at the Fermi level. In this paper we review the experimental and theoretical aspects of point-contact spectroscopy in superconductors, and we give an experimental surv…
A theoretical overview of the classes of superconductors encompassing (a) high-Tc cuprate, (b) iron-based and (c) aromatic superconductors is given. Emphasis is put on the multiband natures of all the three classes, where the differences in the multiorbits and their manifestations in the electronic structures and pairing are clarified. From these, future directions and prospects are discussed.
We develop a theory of the quasiparticle interference (QPI) in multiband superconductors based on strong-coupling Eliashberg approach within the Born approximation. In the framework of this theory, we study dependencies of the QPI response function in the multiband superconductors with nodeless s-wave superconductive order parameter. We pay a special attention to the difference of the quasiparticle scattering between the bands having the same and opposite signs of the order parameter. We show that, at the momentum values close to the momentum transfer between two bands, the energy dependence o…
We study the nonequilibrium dynamics of multiband BCS superconductors subjected to ultrashort pump pulses. Using density-matrix theory, the time evolution of the Bogoliubov quasiparticle densities and the superconducting order parameters are computed as a function of pump pulse frequency, duration, and intensity. Focusing on two-band superconductors, we consider two different model systems. The first one, relevant for iron-based superconductors, describes two-band superconductors with a repulsive interband interaction $V_{12}$ which is much larger than the intraband pairing terms. The second m…
The superconductivity of a kagome superconductor CsV3Sb5 is studied by scanning tunneling microscopy / spectroscopy at an ultralow temperature with high resolution. Two kinds of superconducting gaps with multiple sets of coherent peaks and residual zero-energy density of states are observed on both half-Cs and Sb surfaces, implying multiband superconductivity with gap nodes. Sixfold star-shaped magnetic vortex is observed with conventional Caroli-de Gennes-Matricon bound states inside. Magnetic impurities suppress the superconductivity, while nonmagnetic impurities do not, suggesting the absen…
A theory of the proximity effect in normal metal - multiband superconductor hybrid structures is formulated within the quasiclassical Green's function formalism. It is shown that the existence of multiple superconducting bands manifests itself as the occurence of additional peaks in the density of states in the structure. The interplay between the proximity effect and the interband coupling influences the magnitudes of the gaps in a superconductor in a non-trivial way. The developed theory is applied to the calculation of supercurrent in multiband Superconductor - Normal metal - Superconductor…
Multiband superconductors can host collective excitations with marked differences with respect to their single-band counterpart. We first study the spectrum of collective amplitude fluctuations in a clean two-bands superconductor, showing that the spectral weight of the Higgs mode rapidly deviates from the naive extension of the single band case as the interband coupling is turned on. These results are then used to critically analyze the non-linear optical response in MgB$_2$, providing an explanation for the apparently contradictory results of recent experiments, pointing towards a selective …
