Possibility of mixed helical p-wave pairings in Sr_{2}RuO_{4}
The exact nature of the unconventional superconductivity in Sr_{2}RuO_{4} remains a mystery. At the phenomenological level, no superconducting order parameter proposed thus far seems able to coherently account for all essential experimental signatures. Among the latter is the prominent polar Kerr ef...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
American Physical Society
2021-10-01
|
| Series: | Physical Review Research |
| Online Access: | http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.3.L042002 |
| _version_ | 1797210946322563072 |
|---|---|
| author | Wen Huang Zhiqiang Wang |
| author_facet | Wen Huang Zhiqiang Wang |
| author_sort | Wen Huang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The exact nature of the unconventional superconductivity in Sr_{2}RuO_{4} remains a mystery. At the phenomenological level, no superconducting order parameter proposed thus far seems able to coherently account for all essential experimental signatures. Among the latter is the prominent polar Kerr effect, which implies a nonzero ac anomalous Hall conductivity. Assuming the Kerr effect is intrinsic, it can be accounted for by a bulk chiral Cooper pairing with nonzero orbital angular momentum, such as p+ip or d+id, which, however, has difficulties in being reconciled with other experimental results. Given the situation, in this paper we propose alternative possibilities with complex mixtures of distinct helical p-wave order parameters, namely A_{1u}+iA_{2u} and B_{1u}+iB_{2u} in group theory nomenclature. These states essentially consist of two copies of chiral p-wave pairings with opposite chirality and different pairing amplitudes, and therefore they support intrinsic Hall and Kerr effects. We further show that these states exhibit salient features that may explain several other key observations in this material, including the absence of spontaneous edge current, a substantial Knight shift drop, and possibly signatures in uniaxial strain and ultrasound measurements. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T10:18:40Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a378473c6921429f8adac01f2cb5c456 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2643-1564 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T10:18:40Z |
| publishDate | 2021-10-01 |
| publisher | American Physical Society |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Physical Review Research |
| spelling | doaj.art-a378473c6921429f8adac01f2cb5c4562024-04-12T17:14:40ZengAmerican Physical SocietyPhysical Review Research2643-15642021-10-0134L04200210.1103/PhysRevResearch.3.L042002Possibility of mixed helical p-wave pairings in Sr_{2}RuO_{4}Wen HuangZhiqiang WangThe exact nature of the unconventional superconductivity in Sr_{2}RuO_{4} remains a mystery. At the phenomenological level, no superconducting order parameter proposed thus far seems able to coherently account for all essential experimental signatures. Among the latter is the prominent polar Kerr effect, which implies a nonzero ac anomalous Hall conductivity. Assuming the Kerr effect is intrinsic, it can be accounted for by a bulk chiral Cooper pairing with nonzero orbital angular momentum, such as p+ip or d+id, which, however, has difficulties in being reconciled with other experimental results. Given the situation, in this paper we propose alternative possibilities with complex mixtures of distinct helical p-wave order parameters, namely A_{1u}+iA_{2u} and B_{1u}+iB_{2u} in group theory nomenclature. These states essentially consist of two copies of chiral p-wave pairings with opposite chirality and different pairing amplitudes, and therefore they support intrinsic Hall and Kerr effects. We further show that these states exhibit salient features that may explain several other key observations in this material, including the absence of spontaneous edge current, a substantial Knight shift drop, and possibly signatures in uniaxial strain and ultrasound measurements.http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.3.L042002 |
| spellingShingle | Wen Huang Zhiqiang Wang Possibility of mixed helical p-wave pairings in Sr_{2}RuO_{4} Physical Review Research |
| title | Possibility of mixed helical p-wave pairings in Sr_{2}RuO_{4} |
| title_full | Possibility of mixed helical p-wave pairings in Sr_{2}RuO_{4} |
| title_fullStr | Possibility of mixed helical p-wave pairings in Sr_{2}RuO_{4} |
| title_full_unstemmed | Possibility of mixed helical p-wave pairings in Sr_{2}RuO_{4} |
| title_short | Possibility of mixed helical p-wave pairings in Sr_{2}RuO_{4} |
| title_sort | possibility of mixed helical p wave pairings in sr 2 ruo 4 |
| url | http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.3.L042002 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT wenhuang possibilityofmixedhelicalpwavepairingsinsr2ruo4 AT zhiqiangwang possibilityofmixedhelicalpwavepairingsinsr2ruo4 |