We study inelastic (dynamical) impurity scattering effects in two-band superconductors with the same ($s_{++}$ wave) or different ($s_\pm$ wave) sign order parameters. We focus on the enhancement of the superconducting transition temperature $T_{\rm c}$ by magnetic interband scattering with the interchange of crystal-field singlet ground and multiplet excited states. Either the $s_{++}$-wave or $s_\pm$-wave state is favored by the impurity-mediated pairing, which depends on the magnetic and nonmagnetic scattering strengths derived from the hybridization of the impurity states with the conduction bands. The details are examined for the singlet-triplet configuration that is suggestive of Pr impurities in the skutterudite superconductor LaOs$_4$Sb$_{12}$.
Disorder - impurities and defects violating an ideal order - is always present in solids. It can result in interesting and sometimes unexpected effects in multiband superconductors. Especially if the superconductivity is unconventional thus having other than the usual s-wave symmetry. This paper uses the examples of iron-based pnictides and chalcogenides to examine how both nonmagnetic and magnetic impurities affect superconducting states with $s_\pm$ and $s_{++}$ order parameters. We show that disorder causes the transitions between $s_\pm$ and $s_{++}$ states and examine observable effects t…
Roles of multipole degrees of freedom in multiband superconductors are investigated in a case of impurities whose low-lying states consist of singlet ground and triplet excited states, which is related to the experimental fact that the transition temperature $T_{\rm c}$ is increased by Pr substitution for La in LaOs$_4$Sb$_{12}$. The most important contribution to the $T_{\rm c}$ increase comes from the inelastic interband scattering of electrons coupled to quadrupole or octupole moments of impurities. It is found that a magnetic field modifies an effective pairing interaction and the scatteri…
We study the role of impurities in a two-band superconductor, and elucidate the nature of the recently predicted transition from s_{+-} state to s_{++} state induced by interband impurity scattering. Using a Ginzburg-Landau theory, derived from microscopic equations, we demonstrate that close to T_c this transition is necessarily a direct one, but deeper in the superconducting state an intermediate complex state appears. This state has a distinct order parameter, which breaks the time-reversal symmetry, and is separated from the s_{+-} and s_{++} states by phase transitions. Based on our resul…
We discuss the effects of anisotropy on superconducting critical temperature and order parameter in a strongly coupled regime. The multiband representation is used as a model for anisotropy. We show that strong coupling effects in multiband superconductors lead to pair-breaking due to interband coupling because soft phonon modes play the same role as usual impurities. This effect makes the order parameters in different bands equal to each other and limits the upper bound on critical temperature.
We study optical responses of Leggett modes in multiband superconductors in the linear response regime. The Leggett mode is a collective mode unique to multiband superconductors that arises from relative phase fluctuations of superconducting orders for different bands. We use the Ginzburg-Landau (GL) description to study the collective modes in multiband systems. We find that multiband superconductors generally allow a linear coupling between the Leggett mode and external electric fields due to the presence of a cross term between different components of superconducting orders in the GL theory…
The theory of Andreev conductance is formulated for junctions involving normal metals (N) and multiband superconductors (S) and applied to the case of superconductors with nodeless extended $s_{\pm}$-wave order parameter symmetry, as possibly realized in the recently discovered ferro pnictides. We find qualitative differences from tunneling into s-wave or d-wave superconductors that may help to identify such a state. First, interband interference leads to a suppression of Andreev reflection in the case of a highly transparent N/S interface and to a current deficit in the tunneling regime. Seco…
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…
We identify an intrinsic Hall effect in multiband chiral superconductors in the absence of a magnetic field (i.e., an anomalous Hall effect). This effect arises from interband transitions involving time-reversal symmetry-breaking chiral Cooper pairs. We discuss the implications of this effect for the putative chiral p-wave superconductor, Sr2RuO4, and show that it can contribute significantly to Kerr rotation experiments. Since the magnitude of the effect depends on the structure of the order parameter across the bands, this result may be used to distinguish between different models proposed f…
The newly discovered iron-based superconductors have attracted lots of interests, and the corresponding theoretical studies suggest that the system should have six bands. In this paper, we study the multiband effects on the conductivity based on the exact solutions of one-dimensional two-band Hubbard model. We find that the orbital degree of freedom might enhance the critical value $U_c$ of on-site interaction of the transition from a metal to an insulator. This observation is helpful to understand why undoped High-$T_c$ superconductors are usually insulators, while recently discovered iron-ba…
The semiclassical Lifshitz-Kosevich-type description is given for the angular dependence of quantum oscillations with combination frequencies in a multiband quasi-two-dimensional Fermi liquid with a constant number of electrons. The analytical expressions are found for the Dingle, thermal, spin, and amplitude (Yamaji) reduction factors of the novel combination harmonics, where the latter two strongly oscillate with the direction of the field. At the "magic" angles those factors reduce to the purely two-dimensional expressions given earlier. The combination harmonics are suppressed in the prese…
We formulate a quantum waveguide theory of the Josephson effect in multiband superconductors, with special emphasis on iron-based materials. By generalizing the boundary conditions of the scattering problem, we first determine the Andreev levels spectrum and then derive an explicit expression for the Josephson current which generalizes the formula of the single band case. In deriving the results, we provide a second quantization field theory allowing to evaluate the current-phase relation and the Josephson current fluctuations in multiband systems. We present results for two different order pa…
Determining the exact pairing symmetry of the superconducting order parameter in candidate unconventional superconductors remains an important challenge. Recently a new method, based on phase sensitive quasiparticle interference measurements, was developed to identify gap sign changes in isotropic multiband systems. Here we extend this approach to the single-band and multiband nodal $d$-wave superconducting cases relevant, respectively, for the cuprates and likely for the infinite-layer nickelate superconductors. Combining analytical and numerical calculations, we show that the antisymmetrized…
We consider a problem of superconductivity coexistence with the spin-density-wave order in disordered multiband metals. It is assumed that random variations of the disorder potential on short length scales render the interactions between electrons to develop spatial correlations. As a consequence, both superconducting and magnetic order parameters become spatially inhomogeneous and are described by the universal phenomenological quantities, whereas all the microscopic details are encoded in the correlation function of the coupling strength fluctuations. We consider a minimal model with two nes…
We investigate how hybridization (single-quasiparticle scattering) between two superconducting bands induces odd-frequency superconductivity in a multiband superconductor. An explicit derivation of the odd-frequency pairing correlation and its full frequency dependence is given. We find that the density of states is modified, from the sum of the two BCS spectra, at higher energies by additional hybridization gaps with strong coherence peaks when odd-frequency pairing is present.
We study multigap superconductivity, with strong angular variations of one of the gaps, as appropriate for certain iron-based high-temperature superconductors. We solve the gap equations of this model and find that the nodes or zeroes in the gap function present at Tc - although purely accidental -- typically survive down to T=0. Based on this result, we investigate the line of quantum transitions at which gap zeroes first appear. The peculiar "zero-point" critical scaling emanating from this line dominates quasiparticle thermodynamics and transport properties over much of the phase diagram, a…
A single impurity problem is investigated for multiband s-wave superconductors with different sign order parameters (+-s-wave superconductors) suggested in Fe-pnictide superconductors. Not only intraband but also interband scattering is considered at the impurity. The latter gives rise to impurity-induced local boundstates close to the impurity. We present an exact form of the energy of the local boundstates as a function of strength of the two types of impurity scattering. The essential role of the impurity is unchanged in finite number of impurities. The main conclusions for a single impurit…
One important way to characterize the states having a gauge symmetry spontaneously broken over multibands should be to look at their collective excitation modes. We find that a three-band system has multiple Leggett modes with significantly different masses, which can be classified into different dynamical classes according to whether multiple inter-band Josephson currents add or cancel. This provides a way to dynamically characterize multiband superconductivity while the pairing symmetry is a static property.
Coexistence of antiferromagnetic order with superconductivity in many families of newly discovered iron-based superconductors has renewed interest to this old problem. Due to competition between the two types of order, one can expect appearance of the antiferromagnetism inside the cores of the vortices generated by the external magnetic field. The structure of a vortex in type II superconductors holds significant importance from the theoretical and the application points of view. Here we consider the internal vortex structure in a two-band s$_\pm$ superconductor near a spin-density-wave instab…
A method is proposed to extend the zero-temperature Hall-Klemm microscopic theory of the Knight shift $K$ in an anisotropic and correlated, multi-band metal to calculate $K(T)$ at finite temperatures $T$ both above and into its superconducting state. The transverse part of the magnetic induction ${\bf B}(t)={\bf B}_0+{\bf B}_1(t)$ causes adiabatic changes suitable for treatment with the Keldysh contour formalism and analytic continuation onto the real axis. We propose that the Keldysh-modified version of the Gor'kov method can be used to evaluate $K(T)$ at high ${\bf B}_0$ both in the normal s…
We theoretically investigate the resonance of third harmonic generation (THG) that has been observed at frequency being half of the superconducting gap in a multiband disordered superconductor NbN. The central question is whether the dominant contribution to the THG resonance comes from the Higgs mode (the collective amplitude mode of the superconducting order parameter) or quasiparticle excitations. To resolve this issue, we analyze a realistic three-band model with effective intraband and interband phonon-mediated interactions estimated from first-principles together with nonmagnetic impurit…
The crossover from Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) superconductivity to Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) is difficult to realize in quantum materials because, unlike in ultracold atoms, one cannot tune the pairing interaction. We realize the BCS-BEC crossover in a nearly compensated semimetal Fe$_{1+y}$Se$_x$Te$_{1-x}$ by tuning the Fermi energy, $ε_F$, via chemical doping, which permits us to systematically change $Δ/ ε_F$ from 0.16 to 0.5 were $Δ$ is the superconducting (SC) gap. We use angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy to measure the Fermi energy, the SC gap and characteristic chang…
When periodicity of crystal is disturbed by atomic disorder, its electronic state becomes inhomogeneous and band dispersion is obscured. In case of Fe-based superconductors, disorder of chalcogen/pnictogen height causes disorder of Fe 3d level splitting. Here, we report an angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy study on FeSe_1-xTe_x with the chalcogen height disorder, showing that the disorder affects the Fe 3d band dispersions in an orbital-selective way instead of simple obscuring effect. The reverse of the Fe 3d level splitting due to the chalcogen height difference causes the splitting …
We derive the Ginzburg-Landau theory of unconventional singlet superconductors in the presence of a Zeeman field and impurities, in order to examine the resulting Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO) phases. We show that the behavior of the FFLO phases in unconventional superconductors in the presence of impurities is qualitatively different from that found for s-wave superconductors.
We study the model of a d-wave superconductor interacting with finite concentration of Anderson impurities at zero temperature. The interaction between impurity and conduction electrons is taken into account within the large-$N$ approximation. We discuss the obtained phase diagram and its dependence on the main energy scales.
The rise and fall of the superconducting transition temperature $T_c$ upon tuning carrier density or external parameters, such as pressure or magnetic field, is ubiquitously observed in a wide range of quantum materials. In order to investigate such domes of $T_c$, we go beyond the prototypical attractive Hubbard model, and consider a lattice model of electrons coupled via instantaneous, spatially extended, attractive interactions. By numerically solving the mean-field equations, as well as going beyond mean field theory using a functional renormalization group approach, we find that for a cha…
We study quantum interference of electronic waves that are scattered by multiple non-magnetic impurities in a d_x2-y2-wave superconductor. We show that the number of resonance states in the density-of-states (DOS), as well as their frequency and spatial dependence change significantly as the distance between the impurities or their orientation relative to the crystal lattice is varied. Since the latter effect arises from the momentum dependence of the superconducting gap, we argue that quantum interference is a novel tool to identify the symmetry of unconventional superconductors.
We study two-band one-dimensional superconducting chains of spinless fermions with inter and intra-band pairing. These bands hybridize and depending on the relative angular momentum of their orbitals this can be symmetric or anti-symmetric. The competition between intra and inter-band superconductivity and how it is affected by the symmetry of the hybridization is investigated. The interband pairing is shown to be dominant on a large region of parameter space. A rich phase diagram is found in the presence of anti-symmetric hybridization. The topological properties of the model are obtained thr…
We analyse here the role electrons on Anderson-U impurities play in superconductivity in a metal alloy. We find that phonon coupling at impurities counteracts the traditional effects which dominate T_c suppression in the non-magnetic limit. In some cases, we findt hat non-magnetic impurities can enhance T_c. In the Kondo limit, a Fermi liquid analysis reveals that it is the enhancement in the density of states arising from the Kondo resonancethat counteracts pair-weakening.
In 1966 Leggett used a two-band superconductor to show that a new collective mode could exist at low temperatures, corresponding to a counter-flow of the superconducting condensates in each band. Here, the theory of electronic Raman scattering in a superconductor by Klein and Dierker (1984) is extended to a multiband superconductor. Raman scattering creates particle/hole pairs. In the relevant $A_{1g}$\ symmetry, the attraction that produces pairing necessarily couples excitations of superconducting pairs to these p/h excitations. In the Appendix it is shown that for zero wave vector transfer …
The symmetry of the pairing state in iron pnictide superconductor $\mathrm{Ba_{1-x}K_xFe_2As_2}$ is still controversial. At optimal doping ($x \approx 0.4$), it is very likely $s$-wave, but for $x=1$ there are experimental and theoretical arguments for both $s$-wave and $d$-wave. Depending on the choice for $x=1$, intermediate $s+is$ and $s+id$ states have been proposed for intermediate doping $ 0.4 < x < 1$. In both states, the time reversal symmetry is broken and a spontaneous magnetization is allowed. In this work we study a spontaneous magnetization induced by a nonmagnetic defect in the $…
An indispensable ingredient for pair density wave (PDW) superconductivity is the presence of an attractive pairing interaction at finite momentum. Here, we show how this condition can be met with straightforward electron-density interactions in multiband systems. The electron-density interaction, when projected to the band basis, acquires form factors with nontrivial momentum dependence and thereby exhibits a potential tendency to a finite-momentum pairing instability. By applying a mean-field analysis to two simple multiband models, the checkerboard lattice and three-band Hubbard model, we fi…
We demonstrate that quantum interference of electronic waves that are scattered by multiple magnetic impurities in an s-wave superconductor gives rise to novel bound states. We predict that by varying the inter-impurity distance or the relative angle between the impurity spins, the states' quantum numbers, as well as their distinct frequency and spatial dependencies, can be altered. Finally, we show that the superconductor can be driven through multiple local crossovers in which its spin polarization, $<s_z >$, changes between $<s_z >=0, 1/2$ and 1.
We show that the pinning of collective charge and spin modes by impurities in the cuprate superconductors leads to qualitatively different fingerprints in the local density of states (LDOS). In particular, in a pinned (static) spin droplet, the creation of a resonant impurity state is suppressed, the spin-resolved LDOS exhibits a characteristic spatial pattern, and the LDOS undergoes significant changes with increasing magnetic field. Since all of these fingerprints are absent in a charge droplet, impurities are a new probe for identifying the nature and relative strength of collective modes.
We study analytically the effects of inhomogeneous pairing interactions in short coherence length superconductors, using a spatially varying Bogoliubov-deGennes model. Within the Born approximation, it reproduces all of the standard Abrikosov-Gor'kov pairbreaking and gaplessness effects, even in the absence of actual magnetic impurities. For pairing disorder on a single site, the T-matrix gives rise to bound states within the BCS gap. Our results are compared with recent scanning tunneling microscopy measurements on Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CaCu$_2$O$_{8+δ}$ with Zn or Ni impurities.
We present a theory of Kondo effect caused by an induced magnetic moment near non-magnetic impurities such as Zn and Li in the cuprate superconductors. Based on the co-existence of charge order and superconductivity, a natural description of the induced moment and the resulting Kondo effect is obtained in the framework of bond-operator theory of microscopic t-J-V Hamiltonian. The local density of state near impurities is computed in a self-consistent Bogoliubov-de Gennes theory which shows a low-energy peak in the middle of superconducting gap. Our theory also suggests that the charge order ca…
We analyse the behavior of the density of states in a singlet s-wave superconductor with weak magnetic impurities in the clean limit by using the method of optimal fluctuation. We show that the density of states varies as $\ln N(E)\propto -|E-Δ_0|^{(7-d)/4}$ near the mean field gap edge $Δ_0$ in a d-dimensional superconductor. The optimal fluctuation in d>1 is strongly anisotropic. We compare the density of states with that obtained in other recent approaches.
Physical properties of anisotropic superconductors like the critical temperature and others depend sensitively on the electron mean free path. The sensitivity to impurity scattering and the resulting anomalies are considered a characteristic feature of strongly anisotropic pairing. These anomalies are usually analyzed in terms of s-wave impurity scattering which leads to universal pair breaking effects depending on only two scattering parameters, the mean free path and the impurity cross section. We investigate here corrections coming from anisotropies in the scattering cross section, and find…
The low-energy quasiparticle states of a disordered d-wave superconductor are investigated theoretically. A class of such states, formed via tunneling between the Andreev bound states that are localized around extended impurities (and result from scattering between pair-potential lobes that differ in sign) is identified. Its (divergent) contribution to the total density of states is determined by taking advantage of connections with certain one-dimensional random tight-binding models. The states under discussion should be distinguished from those associated with nodes in the pair potential.
We implement the Bogoliubov-de Gennes (BdG) equation in real-space using the screened Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker (KKR) method. This allows us to solve, self-consistently, the superconducting state for 3d crystals including substitutional impurities with a full normal-state DFT band structure. We apply the theoretical framework to bulk Nb with impurities. Without impurities, Nb has an anisotropic gap structure with two distinct peaks around the Fermi level. In the presence of non-magnetic impurities those peaks are broadened due to the scattering between the two bulk superconducting gaps, however t…
The electronic structure of cuprate superconductors is studied within the kinetic energy driven superconducting mechanism in the presence of the out-of-plane impurities. With increasing the impurity concentration, although both superconducting coherence peaks around nodal and antinodal regions are suppressed, the position of the leading-edge mid-point of the electron spectrum around the nodal region remains at the same position, while it is shifted towards higher binding energies around the antinodal region, this leads to a strong deviation from the monotonic d-wave superconducting gap in the …
We report on the interplay of localized and extended degrees of freedom in the metallic state of high-temperature superconductors in a multiband setting. Various ways in which the bare magnetic response may become incommensurate are measured against both phenomenological and theoretical requirements. In particular, the pseudogap temperature is typically much higher than the incommensurability temperature. When microscopic strong-coupling effects with real-time dynamics between copper and oxygen sites are included, they tend to restore commensurability. Quantum transport equations for low-dimen…
We consider a general problem of a Josephson contact between two multiband superconductors with coexisting superconducting and magnetic phases. As a particular example, we use the quasiclassical theory of superconductivity to study the properties of a Josephson contact between two disordered $s^{\pm}$-wave superconductors allowing for the coexistence between superconductivity and spin-density-wave orders. The intra- and inter-band scattering effects of disorder are treated within the self-consistent Born approximation. We calculate the spatial profile of the corresponding order parameters on b…
