The quasiparticle interference (QPI) in Sr$_{2}$RuO$_{4}$ is theoretically studied based on two different pairing models in order to propose an experimental method to test them. For a recently proposed two-dimensional model with pairing primarily from the $γ$ band, we found clear QPI peaks evolving with energy and their locations can be determined from the tips of the constant-energy contour (CEC). On the other hand, for a former quasi-one-dimensional model with pairing on the $α$ and $β$ bands, the QPI spectra are almost dispersionless and may involve off-shell contributions to the scatterings beyond the CEC. The different behaviors of the QPI in these two models may help to resolve the controversy of active/passive bands and whether Sr$_{2}$RuO$_{4}$ is a topological superconductor.
We will extend the concept of electron band Berry curvatures to superconducting materials. We show that this can be defined for the Bogoliubov-de Gennes equation describing the superconducting state in a periodic crystal. In addition, the concept is exploited to understand the driving mechanism for the optical Kerr effect in time reversal symmetry breaking superconductors. Finally, we establish a sum rule analogue to the normal state Hall sum rule making quantitative contact between the imaginary part of the optical conductivity and the Berry curvature. The general theory will be applied and t…
Sr$_2$RuO$_4$ has long been the focus of intense research interest because of conjectures that it is a correlated topological superconductor. It is the momentum space (k-space) structure of the superconducting energy gap $Δ_i(\mathbf{k})$ on each band $i$ that encodes its unknown superconducting order-parameter. But, because the energy scales are so low, it has never been possible to directly measure the $Δ_i(\mathbf{k})$ of Sr$_2$RuO$_4$. Here we implement Bogoliubov quasiparticle interference (BQPI) imaging, a technique capable of high-precision measurement of multiband $Δ_i(\mathbf{k})$. At…
We measure the Shubnikov-de Haas effect in thin-film Sr$_2$RuO$_4$ grown on an (LaAlO$_3$)$_{0.29}$-(SrAl$_{1/2}$Ta$_{1/2}$O$_3$)$_{0.71}$ (LSAT) substrate. We detect all three known Fermi surfaces and extract the Fermi surface volumes, cyclotron effective masses, and quantum lifetimes. We show that the electronic structure is nearly identical to that of single-crystal Sr$_2$RuO$_4$, and that the quasiparticle lifetime is consistent with the Tc of comparably clean, single-crystal Sr$_2$RuO$_4$. Unlike single-crystal Sr$_2$RuO$_4$, where the quantum and transport lifetimes are roughly equal, we…
We report a polarization-resolved Raman spectroscopy study of the orbital dependence of the quasiparticles properties in the prototypical multi-band Fermi liquid Sr\textsubscript{2}RuO\textsubscript{4}. We show that the quasiparticle scattering rate displays $ω^{2}$ dependence as expected for a Fermi liquid. Besides, we observe a clear polarization-dependence in the energy and temperature dependence of the quasiparticle scattering rate and mass, with the $d_{xz/yz}$ orbital derived quasiparticles showing significantly more robust Fermi liquid properties than the $d_{xy}$ orbital derived ones. …
The single-layered ruthenate Sr$_2$RuO$_4$ is one of the most enigmatic unconventional superconductors. While for many years it was thought to be the best candidate for a chiral $p$-wave superconducting ground state, desirable for topological quantum computations, recent experiments suggest a singlet state, ruling out the original $p$-wave scenario. The superconductivity as well as the properties of the multi-layered compounds of the ruthenate perovskites are strongly influenced by a van Hove singularity in proximity of the Fermi energy. Tiny structural distortions move the van Hove singularit…
We use functional renormalization group method to study a three-orbital model for superconducting Sr$_2$RuO$_4$. Although the pairing symmetry is found to be chiral $p$-wave, the atomic spin-orbit coupling induces near-nodes for quasiparticle excitations. Our theory explains a major experimental puzzle between $d$-wave-like feature observed in thermal experiments and the chiral $p$-wave triplet pairing revealed in nuclear-magnetic-resonance and Kerr effect.
One key feature of the multi-orbital superconducting Sr$_2$RuO$_4$ is the presence of nodal or near-nodal quasiparticle excitations revealed in a wide variety of experiments. Typically, a nodal gap structure in a two-dimensional model would be inconsistent with the chiral or helical p-wave interpretations. However, we demonstrate that true gap nodes may emerge along certain high-symmetry directions on the quasi-one-dimensional Fermi surfaces, if the multi-orbital chiral or helical p-wave pairings acquire peculiar forms wherein the $d_{xz}$ and $d_{yz}$ orbitals develop $k_y$- and $k_x$-like pa…
We present a tree tensor-network impurity solver suited for general multiorbital systems. The network is constructed to efficiently capture the entanglement structure and symmetry of an impurity problem. The solver works directly on the real-time/frequency axis and generates spectral functions with energy-independent resolution of the order of one percent of the correlated bandwidth. Combined with an optimized representation of the impurity bath, it efficiently solves self-consistent dynamical mean-field equations and calculates various dynamical correlation functions for systems with off-diag…
In conventional and high transition temperature copper oxide and iron pnictide superconductors, the Cooper pairs all have even parity. As a rare exception, Sr$_2$RuO$_4$ is the first prime candidate for topological chiral p-wave superconductivity, which has time-reversal breaking odd-parity Cooper pairs known to exist before only in the neutral superfluid $^3$He. However, there are several key unresolved issues hampering the microscopic description of the unconventional superconductivity. Spin fluctuations at both large and small wavevectors are present in experiments, but how they arise and d…
Motivated by Sr$_2$RuO$_4$, edge quasiparticle states are analyzed based on the self-consistent solution of the Bogolyubov-de Gennes equations for a topological chiral $p$-wave superconductor. Using a tight-binding model of a square lattice for the dominant $γ$-band we explore the non-trivial geometry and band structure dependence of the edge states and currents. As a peculiar finding we show that for high band fillings currents flow in reversed direction comparing straight and zigzag edges. We give a simple explanation in terms of the positions of the zero-energy bound states using a quasi-cl…
Here we demonstrate how the Fermi surface topology and quantum many-body interactions can be manipulated via epitaxial strain in the spin-triplet superconductor Sr$_2$RuO$_4$ and its isoelectronic counterpart Ba$_2$RuO$_4$ using oxide molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), \emph{in situ} angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES), and transport measurements. Near the topological transition of the $γ$ Fermi surface sheet, we observe clear signatures of critical fluctuations, while the quasiparticle mass enhancement is found to increase rapidly and monotonically with increasing Ru-O bond distance.…
The tetragonal compound Sr2RuO4 exhibits a chiral p-wave superconducting (SC) state of its three t2g-type conduction bands. The characteristics of unconventional gap structure are known from experiment, in particular field-angle resolved specific heat measurements and from microscopic theories. A rotated extremal structure on the main active SC band with respect to the nodal gaps on the passive bands was concluded. We propose that this gap structure can be further specified by applying the STM- quasiparticle interference (QPI) method. We calculate the QPI spectrum within a three band and chira…
We propose the general multi-band quasiclassical Eilenberger theory of superconductivity to describe quasiparticle excitations in inhomogeneous systems. With the use of low-energy projection matrix, the $M$-band quasiclassical Eilenberger equations are systematically obtained from $N$-band Gor'kov equations. Here $M$ is the internal degrees of freedom in the bands crossing the Fermi energy and $N$ is the degree of freedom in a model. Our framework naturally includes inter-band off-diagonal elements of Green's functions, which have usually been neglected in previous multi-band quasiclassical fr…
