The symmetry of the order parameter is the defining property of a superconductor and a strong clue to its pairing mechanism. While d-wave symmetry is firmly established in high-Tc superconductors, in no heavy-fermion superconductor is the symmetry known definitively. One way to elucidate the order parameter is to locate the symmetry-imposed nodes in the energy gap by measuring the heat carried by the zero-energy quasiparticles associated with those nodes as a function of direction. As verified in high-Tc superconductors a line of nodes yields universal heat transport independent of impurity scattering. Here we show that heat conduction in the heavy-fermion superconductor CeIrIn5 is also universal, but only for a current perpendicular to the tetragonal axis of its crystal structure, not parallel to it. This uniaxial anisotropy is strong evidence for a line of nodes in the basal plane, which is inconsistent with the d-wave symmetry proposed for the isostructural superconductor CeCoIn5. Different symmetries in the two materials would explain why the phase diagram of these heavy-fermion compounds consists of two separate superconducting domes.
This is a comment on recent paper by Rourke et al. titled "Spectroscopic Evidence for Multiple Order Parameters in the Heavy Fermion Superconductor CeCoIn5" (cond-mat/0409562v1 22 Sep 2004). We argue that the features observed by Rourke etal. arise from their contact not being in the ballistic limit.
The interplay between magnetism and superconductivity in the newly discovered heavy-fermion superconductor CePt$_3$Si has been investigated using the zero-field $μ$SR technique. The $μ$SR data indicate that the whole muon ensemble senses spontaneous internal fields in the magnetic phase, demonstrating that magnetism occurs in the whole sample volume. This points to a microscopic coexistence between magnetism and heavy-fermion superconductivity.
We present results of a microwave surface impedance study of the heavy fermion superconductor UBe13. We clearly observe an absorption peak whose frequency- and temperature-dependence scales with the BCS gap function. Resonant absorption into a collective mode, with energy approximately proportional to the superconducting gap, is proposed as a possible explantation.
Mechanical-controllable break junctions of the heavy-fermion superconductors can show Josephson-like superconducting anomalies. But a systematic study on the contact size demonstrates that these anomalies are mainly due to Maxwell's resistance being suppressed in the superconducting heavy-fermion phase. Up to day, we could not find any superconducting features by vacuum-tunnelling spectroscopy, providing further evidence for the pair-breaking effect of the heavy-fermion interfaces.
We report field-orientation specific heat studies of the pressure-induced heavy fermion superconductor CeRhIn5. Theses experiments provide the momentum-dependent superconducting gap function for the first time in any pressure-induced superconductor. In the coexisting phase of superconductivity and antiferromagnetism, field rotation within the Ce-In plane reveals four-fold modulation in the density of states, which favors a d-wave order parameter and constrains a theory of the interplay between superconductivity and magnetism.
The effect of magnetic field on specific heat of a p-wave spin triplet superconductor has been analyzed. To describe superconductivity we used a single band model with various realizations of p-wave order parameter and analyzed the effect of a Doppler shift in different temperatures.
We present scanning tunnelling spectroscopy measurements on the heavy fermion superconductor PrOs$_4$Sb$_{12}$. Our results show that the superconducting gap opens over a large part of the Fermi surface. The deviations from isotropic BCS s-wave behavior are discussed in terms of a finite distribution of values of the superconducting gap.
Nuclear magnetic resonance has emerged as a vital technique for investigating strongly correlated electron systems, and is particularly important for studying superconductivity. In this paper the basic features of NMR as a technique for probing the superconducting state are reviewed. Topics include include spin relaxation processes, studies of vortex lattices, and phenomena associated with unconventional pairing symmetries. Recent experimental work is reviewed, with a particular emphasis on the heavy fermion superconductors.
Realizations of Majorana fermions in solid state materials have attracted great interests recently in connection to topological order and quantum information processing. We propose a novel way to create Majorana fermions in superconductors. We show that an incipient non-collinear magnetic order turns a spin-singlet superconductor with nodes into a topological superconductor with a stable Majorana bound state in the vortex core; at a topologically-stable magnetic point defect; and on the edge. We argue that such an exotic non-Abelian phase can be realized in extended t-J models on the triangula…
We investigate effects of strong electron correlation on magnetoelectric transport phenomena in noncentrosymmetric superconductors with particular emphasis on its application to the recently discovered heavy-fermion superconductor CePt$_3$Si. Taking into account electron correlation effects in a formally exact way, we obtain the expression of the magnetoelectric coefficient for the Zeeman-field-induced paramagnetic supercurrent, of which the existence was predicted more than a decade ago. It is found that in contrast to the usual Meissner current, which is much reduced by the mass renormalizat…
To investigate Majorana fermionic excitations of a $p_x+ip_y$ superconductor, the Bogoliubov-de-Gennes equation is solved on a sphere for two cases: (i) a vortex-antivortex pair at opposite poles and (ii) an edge near the south pole and an antivortex at the north pole. The vortex cores support a state of two Majorana fermions, the energy of which decreases exponentially with the radius of the sphere, independently of a moderate disorder potential. The tunneling conductance of an electron into the superconductor near the position of a vortex is computed for finite temperature, and is compared t…
Field-angle dependent heat capacity of the non-magnetic borocarbide superconductor YNi2B2C reveals a clear fourfold oscillation, the first observation of its kind. The observed angular variations were analyzed as a function of magnetic field angle, field intensity and temperature to provide its origin. The quantitative agreement between experiment and theory strongly suggests that we are directly observing nodal quasiparticles generated along <100> by the Doppler effect. The results demonstrate that field-angle heat capacity can be a powerful tool in probing the momentum-space gap structure in…
The superconducting gap structure of recently discovered heavy fermion superconductor PrOs4Sb12 was investigated by using thermal transport measurements in magnetic field rotated relative to the crystal axes. We demonstrate that a novel change in the symmetry of the superconducting gap function occurs deep inside the superconducting state, giving a clear indication of the presence of two distinct superconducting phases with twofold and fourfold symmetries. We infer that the gap functions in both phases have a point node singularity, in contrast to the familiar line node singularity observed in…
We study the anomalously large specific heat jump and its systematic change with pressure in CeCoIn$_5$ superconductor. Starting with the general free energy functional of the superconductor for a coupled electron boson system, we derived the analytic result of the specific heat jump of the strong coupling superconductivity occurring in the coupled electron boson system. Then using the two component spin-fermion model we calculate the specific heat coefficient $C(T)/T$ both for the normal and superconducting states and show a good agreement with the experiment of CeCoIn$_5$. Our result also cl…
We report the magnetic field dependence of the low temperature specific heat of single crystals of the first Pr-based heavy fermion superconductor PrOs$_4$Sb$_{12}$. The low temperature specific heat and the magnetic phase diagram inferred from specific heat, resistivity and magnetisation provide compelling evidence of a doublet ground state and hence superconductivity mediated by quadrupolar fluctuations. This establishes PrOs$_4$Sb$_{12}$ as a very strong contender of superconductive pairing that is neither electron-phonon nor magnetically mediated.
Majorana fermions cannot be found in nature as a free fundamental particle. Nevertheless, in condensed matter systems, they can emerge as a collective excitation. In this work, using functional integration techniques, we calculated the effective potential for emergent Majorana fermions in the Kitaev chain. In this case, we have shown how the superconductor parameter behaves as a function of temperature. Furthermore, we considered surface-induced superconductivity in a Topological Insulator and calculated the effective potential for emergent Majorana fermions in this system. In the case of an s…
The effect of a quantum phase transition associated with the appearance of the fermion condensate in an electron liquid on the properties of superconductors is considered. It is shown that the electron system in both superconducting and normal states exhibits characteristic features of a quantum protectorate after the point of this fermion-condensation quantum phase transition. The single-particle spectrum of a superconductor can be represented by two straight lines corresponding to two effective masses $M^*_{FC}$ and $M^*_{L}$. The $M^*_{FC}$ mass characterizes the spectrum up to the binding …
Differential conductance spectra are obtained from nanoscale junctions on the heavy-fermion superconductor CeCoIn$_5$ along three major crystallographic orientations. Consistency and reproducibility of characteristic features among the junctions ensure their spectroscopic nature. All junctions show a similar conductance asymmetry and Andreev reflection-like conductance with reduced signal (~ 10%-13%), both commonly observed in heavy-fermion superconductor junctions. Analysis using the extended Blonder-Tinkham-Klapwijk model indicates that our data provide the first spectroscopic evidence for $…
Landau levels (LL) have been predicted to emerge in systems with Dirac nodal points under applied non-uniform strain. We consider 2D, $d_{xy}$ singlet (2D-S) and 3D $p \pm i p$ equal-spin triplet (3D-T) superconductors (SCs). We demonstrate the spinful Majorana nature of the bulk gapless zeroth-LLs. Strain along certain directions can induce two topologically distinct phases in the bulk, with zeroth LLs localized at the the interface. These modes are unstable toward ferromagnetism for 2D-S cases. Emergent real-space Majorana fermions in 3D-T allow for more exotic possibilities.
Recently, Rourke et al. reported point-contact spectroscopy results on the heavy-fermion superconductor CeCoIn$_5$ [1]. They obtained conductance spectra on the c-axis surfaces of CeCoIn$_5$ single crystals. Their major claims are two-fold: CeCoIn$_5$ has i) d-wave pairing symmetry and ii) two coexisting order parameter components. In this Comment, we show that these claims are not warranted by the data presented. [1] Rourke et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 107005 (2005).
In this article, we report magneto-heat capacity analysis of superconducting SnAs, which is characterized through X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and magneto-transport measurements. The studied SnAs superconductor evidenced the presence of superconductivity at around 4K, and the same is seen to persist up to an applied field of 250Oe. The bulk nature of superconductivity is determined through AC susceptibility along with heat capacity measurements. Magneto-heat capacity measurements show SnAs to be a fully gapped s wave superconductor. This finding is well supp…
We propose that an extension of the exciton concept to doped Mott insulators offers a fruitful insight into challenging issues of the copper oxide superconductors. In our extension, new fermionic excitations called cofermions emerge in conjunction to generalized excitons. The cofermions hybridize with conventional quasiparticles. Then a hybridization gap opens, and is identified as the pseudogap observed in the underdoped cuprates. The resultant Fermi-surface reconstruction naturally explains a number of unusual properties of the underdoped cuprates, such as the Fermi arc and/or pocket formati…
The pressure dependences of the antiferromagnetic and superconducting transition temperatures have been investigated by ac heat capacity measurement under high pressures for the heavy-fermion superconductor CePt$_3$Si without inversion symmetry in the tetragonal structure. The Néel temperature $T_{\rm N}$ = 2.2 K decreases with increasing pressure and becomes zero at the critical pressure $P_{\rm AF}$ $\simeq$ 0.6 GPa. On the other hand, the superconducting phase exists in a wider pressure region from ambient pressure to about 1.5 GPa. The pressure phase diagram of CePt$_3$Si is thus very uniq…
The thermal transport measurements have been made on the Fe-based superconductor Lu2Fe3Si5 (Tc ~ 6 K) down to a very low temperature Tc/120. The field and temperature dependences of the thermal conductivity confirm the multigap superconductivity with fully opened gaps on the whole Fermi surfaces. In comparison to MgB2 as a typical example of the multigap superconductor in a p-electron system, Lu2Fe3Si5 reveals a remarkably enhanced quasiparticle heat conduction in the mixed state. The results can be interpreted as a consequence of the electronic correlations derived from Fe 3d-electrons.
The normal state behavior in the heavy-fermion superconductor Ce2PdIn8 has been probed by means of Hall coefficient (RH) and transverse magnetoresistivity (MR) measurements. The results indicate the predominance of contributions from antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations at low temperatures. Anomalous non-Fermi-liquid-like features, observed below 8 K in both RH(T) and MR(T), are related to underlying quantum critical point, evidenced before in the specific heat and the electrical resistivity data. The magnetotransport in Ce2PdIn8 is shown to exhibit specific types of scaling that may appear uni…
Field-angle dependent specific heat measurement has been done on the heavy-fermion superconductor CeCoIn5 down to ~ 0.29 K, in a magnetic field rotating in the tetragonal c-plane. A clear fourfold angular oscillation is observed in the specific heat with the minima (maxima) occurring along the [100] ([110]) directions. Oscillation persists down to low fields H << Hc2, thus directly proving the existence of gap nodes. The results indicate that the superconducting gap symmetry is most probably of dxy type.
The effect of a quantum phase transition associated with the appearance of the fermion condensate in an electron liquid on the properties of superconductors is considered. It is shown that the electron system in both superconducting and normal states exhibits characteristic features of a quantum protectorate after the point of this fermion-condensation quantum phase transition. The single-particle spectrum of a superconductor can be represented by two straight lines corresponding to two effective masses $M^*_{FC}$ and $M^*_{L}$. The $M^*_{FC}$ mass characterizes the spectrum up to the binding …
Recently it was discovered that the jump in the specific heat at the superconducting transition in pnictide superconductors is proportional to the superconducting transition temperature to the third power, with the superconducting transition temperature varying from 2 to 25 Kelvin including underdoped and overdoped cases. Relying on standard scaling notions for the thermodynamics of strongly interacting quantum critical states, it is pointed out that this behavior is consistent with a normal state that is a quantum critical metal undergoing a pairing instability.
By means of the composite operator method we calculate the specific heat of the 2D Hubbard model. Our results show that the model gives a detailed description of the experimental situation in the normal state of cuprate high Tc superconductors. The observed behavior is consistent with a Fermi liquid picture where the unusual properties are described in terms of the van Hove scenario. There is experimental evidence, based on the data for the spin magnetic susceptibility and specific heat, that this scenario is related to the overdoped region where superconductivity is depressed.
We present data analyses of the thermal conductivity and specific heat of electron-doped Pr1.85Ce0.15CuO4-y. The zero-field thermal conductivity and specific heat of this optimally electrondoped system can be only explained by a nodeless gap symmetry. The magnetic-field dependence of the electronic specific heat in the vortex state is in quantitative agreement with an s-wave theory. Our quantitative data analyses provide bulk evidence for a nodeless gap symmetry in optimally electron-doped cuprates.
We present a detailed quantum oscillation study of the Fermi surface of the recently discovered Yb-based heavy fermion superconductor beta-YbAlB4 . We compare the data, obtained at fields from 10 to 45 Tesla, to band structure calculations performed using the local density approximation. Analysis of the data suggests that f-holes participate in the Fermi surface up to the highest magnetic fields studied. We comment on the significance of these findings for the unconventional superconducting properties of this material.
Within the phase fluctuation model for the pseudogap state of cuprate superconductors we identify a novel statistical "Berry phase" interaction between the nodal quasiparticles and fluctuating vortices. The effective action describing this model assumes the form of an anisotropic Euclidean quantum electrodynamics in (2+1) dimensions (QED_3) and naturally generates the marginal Fermi liquid behavior for its fermionic excitations. The doping axis in the x-T phase diagram emerges as a quantum critical line which regulates low energy fermiology. We examine the merits of our theory in light of avai…
The thermal conductivity of the heavy-fermion superconductor CeCoIn_5 has been studied in a magnetic field rotating within the 2D planes. A clear fourfold symmetry of the thermal conductivity which is characteristic of a superconducting gap with nodes along the (+-pi,+-pi)-directions is resolved. The thermal conductivity measurement also reveals a first order transition at H_c2, indicating a Pauli limited superconducting state. These results indicate that the symmetry most likely belongs to d_{x^2-y^2}, implying that the anisotropic antiferromagnetic fluctuation is relevant to the superconduct…
The dynamic conductance of the heavy-fermion superconductor CeCoIn$_5$ is measured by point-contact spectroscopy as a function of temperature from 60 K down to 400 mK. The contact between the gold tip and the single-crystal is shown to be in the Sharvin limit with the enhanced sub-gap conductance arising from Andreev reflection. The zero-bias conductance data are best fit using the extended Blonder-Tinkham-Klapwijk model with a d-wave superconducting order parameter. A fit to the full conductance curve at 400 mK indicates strong coupling ($2Δ(0)/k_\textrm{B}T_\textrm{c} = 4.6$) and quantifies …
In heavy-fermion superconductors, it is widely believed that the superconducting gap function has sign-reversal due to the strong electron correlation. However, recently discovered fully-gapped s-wave superconductivity in CeCu2Si2 has clarified that strong attractive pairing interaction can appear even in heavy-fermion systems. To understand the origin of attractive force, we develop the multipole fluctuation theory by focusing on the inter-multipole many-body interaction called the vertex corrections. By analyzing the periodic Anderson model for CeCu2Si2, we find that hexadecapole fluctuation…
The low-energy magnetic excitations of the noncentrosymmetric heavy-fermion superconductor CePt3Si have been measured with inelastic neutron scattering on a single crystal. Kondo-type spin fluctuations with an anisotropic wave vector dependence are observed in the paramagnetic state. These fluctuations do not survive in the antiferromagnetically ordered state below TN=2.2 K but are replaced by damped spin waves, whose dispersion is much stronger along the c-axis than in other directions. No change is observed in the excitation spectrum or the magnetic order as the system enters the superconduc…
We have investigated the de Haas-van Alphen effect in the Pr-based heavy fermion superconductor PrOs$_4$Sb$_{12}$.The topology of Fermi surface is close to the reference compound LaOs$_4$Sb$_{12}$ and well explained by the band structure calculation based on the FLAPW-LDA+U method, where the 4{\it f} electrons are localized. We have confirmed a highly enhanced cyclotron effective mass 2.4$\sim7.6m_{\rm 0}$ which is apparently large compared to the usual Pr-based compounds.
We report the field-orientation dependent specific heat of the spin-triplet superconductor Sr2RuO4 under the magnetic field aligned parallel to the RuO2 planes with high accuracy. Below about 0.3 K, striking 4-fold oscillations of the density of states reflecting the superconducting gap structure have been resolved for the first time. We also obtained strong evidence of multi-band superconductivity and concluded that the superconducting gap in the active band, responsible for the superconducting instability, is modulated with a minimum along the [100] direction.
In this work the specific heat of a two-dimensional Hubbard model, suitable to discuss high-$T_c$ superconductors (HTSC), is studied taking into account hopping to first ($t$) and second ($t_2$) nearest neighbors. Experimental results for the specific heat of HTSC's, for instance, the YBCO and LSCO, indicate a close relation between the pseudogap and the specific heat. In the present work, we investigate the specific heat by the Green's function method within a $n$-pole approximation. The specific heat is calculated on the pseudogap and on the superconducting regions. In the present scenario, …
Nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) measurements were performed on the heavy fermion superconductor Ce3PtIn11 with Tc = 0.32 K. The temperature dependence of both spin-lattice relaxation rate 1/T1 and NQR spectra evidences the occurrence of two successive magnetic transitions with TN1 = 2.2 K and TN2 = 2.0 K. In successive magnetic transitions, even though the magnetic moment at the Ce(2) site plays a major role, the magnetic moment at the Ce(1) site also contributes to some extent. While a commensurate antiferromagnetic ordered state appears for TN2 < T < TN1, a partially incommensurate antife…
Motivated by recent London penetration depth measurement [H. Kim et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. \textbf{114}, 027003 (2015)] and novel composite pairing scenario [O. Erten, R. Flint and P. Coleman, Phys. Rev. Lett. \textbf{114}, 027002 (2015)] on Yb-doped heavy fermion superconductor CeCoIn$_{5}$, we revisit the issue of superfluid response in microscopic heavy fermion lattice model. However, it is found that in literature explicit expression of superfluid response function in heavy fermion superconductor is rare. In this paper, we make a contribution to this issue by investigating superfluid density…
The superconducting transition temperature Tc has earlier been correlated with coherence length and effective mass for a series of heavy Fermion (HF) materials at atmospheric pressure. Here, a further physical property, the dc electrical conductivity sigma(Tc), is one focal point, another being the pressure dependence of both Tc and sigma(Tc) for several HF materials. The relaxation time tau(Tc) is also studied in relation to an Uncertainty Principle limit, involving only the thermal energy kB Tc and Planck's constant.
In this chapter we discuss the physical properties of a particular family of non-centrosymmetric superconductors belonging to the class heavy-fermion compounds. This group includes the ferromagnet UIr and the antiferromagnets CeRhSi3, CeIrSi3, CeCoGe3, CeIrGe3 and CePt3Si, of which all but CePt3Si become superconducting only under pressure. Each of these superconductors has intriguing and interesting properties. We first analyze CePt3Si, then review CeRhSi3, CeIrSi3, CeCoGe3 and CeIrGe3, which are very similar to each other in their magnetic and electrical properties, and finally discuss UIr. …
We examine the internal structure of the heavy fermion condensate, showing that it necessarily involves a d-wave pair of quasiparticles on neighboring lattice sites, condensed in tandem with a composite pair of electrons bound to a local moment, within a single unit cell. These two components draw upon the antiferromagnetic and Kondo interactions to cooperatively enhance the superconducting transition temperature. The tandem condensate is electrostatically active, with a small electric quadrupole moment coupling to strain that is predicted to lead to a superconducting shift in the NQR frequenc…
Point-contact spectroscopy was performed on single crystals of the heavy-fermion superconductor CeCoIn_5 between 150 mK and 2.5 K. A pulsed measurement technique ensured minimal Joule heating over a wide voltage range. The spectra show Andreev-reflection characteristics with multiple structures which depend on junction impedance. Spectral analysis using the generalized Blonder-Tinkham-Klapwijk formalism for d-wave pairing revealed two coexisting order parameter components, with amplitudes Delta_1 = 0.95 +/- 0.15 meV and Delta_2 = 2.4 +/- 0.3 meV, which evolve differently with temperature. Our …
We report a 29Si-NMR study on the pressure-induced superconductivity (SC) in an antiferromagnetic (AFM) heavy-fermion compound CeIrSi3 without inversion symmetry. In the SC state at P=2.7-2.8 GPa, the temperature dependence of the nuclear-spin lattice relaxation rate 1/T_1 below Tc exhibits a T^3 behavior without any coherence peak just below Tc, revealing the presence of line nodes in the SC gap. In the normal state, 1/T_1 follows a \sqrt{T}-like behavior, suggesting that the SC emerges under the non-Fermi liquid state dominated by AFM spin fluctuations enhanced around quantum critical point …
The field dependence of low-temperature thermal conductivity $κ(H)$ observed on cuprates is explained by calculating $κ(H)$ microscopically. The heat current carried by low-lying quasiparticles around a vortex core decreases with $H$ due to its depletion by the $H$-induced moment centered at a core for an underdoped case. This leads to a common and consistent picture on an ``anomalous core''. $κ(H,T)$ is found to be a useful tool for probing quasiparticle structures in the mixed state in general.
We report new theoretical results and analysis for the transport properties of superconducting UPt3 based on the leading models for the pairing symmetry. We use Fermi surface data and the measured inelastic scattering rate to show that the low-temperature thermal conductivity and transverse sound attenuation in the A and B phase of UPt3 are in excellent agreement with pairing states belonging to the two-dimensional orbital E2u representation.
Two beta-pyrochlore oxide superconductors, CsOs2O6 and RbOs2O6, are studied thermodynamically by measuring specific heat on polycrystalline samples. It is found that a Sommerfeld coefficient ? is nearly equal, 20 mJ/K2 mol Os, in the two oxides with different superconducting transition temperatures; Tc = 3.3 K and 6.3 K, respectively. This suggests that the density of states at the Fermi level is not a crucial parameter to determine the Tc of the beta-pyrochlore oxide superconductors, which is incompatible with the general expectation for a conventional BCS-type superconductor. Anomalous latti…
The gap function in unconventional superconductors may vanish at points or lines in momentum space, permitting electronic excitations, termed nodal quasiparticles, to exist at temperatures well below the superconducting transition. In the vortex phase, the presence of nodal quasiparticles should be directly observable through the variation of the heat capacity with the angle between a magnetic field and the location of the zeroes of the gap. The heat capacity of candidate non-magnetic unconventional superconductors Lu(Y)Ni2B2C were found to exhibit fourfold oscillations with field angle, the f…
A model of a Fermi liquid with the fermion condensate (FC) is applied to the consideration of quasiparticle excitations in high temperature superconductors, in their superconducting and normal states. Within our model the appearance of the fermion condensate presents a quantum phase transition, that separates the regions of normal and strongly correlated electron liquids. Beyond the phase transition point the quasiparticle system is divided into two subsystems, one containing normal quasiparticles and the other --- fermion condensate localized at the Fermi surface and characterized by almost d…
We prove a topological criterion for the existence of zero-energy Majorana bound-state on a disclination, a rotation symmetry breaking point defect, in 4-fold symmetric topological crystalline superconductors (TCS). We first establish a complete topological classification of TCS using the Chern invariant and three integral rotation invariants. By analytically and numerically studying disclinations, we algebraically deduce a Z_2-index that identifies the parity of the number of Majorana zero-modes at a disclination. Surprisingly, we also find weakly-protected Majorana fermions bound at the corn…
In this paper we present a method to compute the exact density of states induced by $N$ non magnetic impurities in a system of two dimensional Dirac fermions in the unitarity limit. We review the case of the $π$-flux phase of the Heisenberg model and also treat the disordered d-wave superconductor. In both case we find additional states in the gap with $δρ(ω) \simeq n_i/ |ω(\ln^2 |ω/Δ_0| + (π/2)^2)|$.
We report a systematic study of temperature- and field-dependent charge ($\boldsymbolρ$) and entropy ($\mathbf{S}$) transport in the heavy-fermion superconductor CeIrIn$_5$. Its large positive thermopower $S_{xx}$ is typical of Ce-based Kondo lattice systems, and strong electronic correlations play an important role in enhancing the Nernst signal $S_{xy}$. By separating the off-diagonal Peltier coefficient $α_{xy}$ from $S_{xy}$, we find that $α_{xy}$ becomes positive and greatly enhanced at temperatures well above the bulk $T_c$. Compared with the non-magnetic analog LaIrIn$_5$, these results…
Motivated by recent progress in crystalline symmetry protected topological (SPT) phases of interacting bosons, we study topological crystalline insulators/superconductors (TCIs) of strongly interacting fermions. We construct a class of intrinsically interacting fermionic TCIs, and show that they are beyond both free-fermion TCIs and bosonic crystalline SPT phases. We also show how these phases can be characterized by symmetry protected gapless fermion modes on the corners/hinges of an open system.
We propose a setup to realize time-reversal invariant topological superconductors in quantum wires, proximity coupled to conventional superconductors. We consider a model of quantum wire with strong spin-orbit coupling and proximity coupling to two s-wave superconductors. When the relative phase between the two superconductors is $ϕ=π$ a Kramers' pair of Majorana zero modes appears at each edge of the wire. We study the robustness of the phase in presence of both time-reversal invariant and time-reversal breaking perturbations. In addition, we show that the system forms a natural realization o…
We have determined the magnetic structure of the noncentrosymmetric heavy-fermion superconductor CePt3Si using elastic polarized neutron scattering with field-projected (longitudinal) XYZ polarization analysis. We find that the magnetic moment has components both in the tetragonal basal plane and along the tetragonal four-fold axis. Such a magnetic structure is not symmetry-allowed if the magnetic phase transition is second order, and may imply that CePt3Si has lower symmetry in the superconducting state than originally thought.
It has been understood that short range interactions can reduce the classification of topological superconductors in all dimensions. In this paper we demonstrate by explicit calculations that when the topological phase transition between two distinct phases in the noninteracting limit is gapped out by interaction, the bulk fermion Green's function $G(iω)$ at the "transition" approaches zero as $G(iω) \sim ω$ at certain momentum $\vec{k}$ in the Brillouin zone.
