No Arabic abstract
A monopole harmonic superconductor is a novel topological phase of matter with topologically protected gap nodes that result from the non-trivial Berry phase structure of Cooper pairs. In this work we propose to realize a monopole superconductor by the proximity effect between a time-reversal broken Weyl semi-metal and an $s$-wave superconductor. Furthermore, we study the zero-energy vortex bound states in this system by projection methods and by exact solutions. The zero modes exhibit a non-trivial phase winding in real space as a result of the non-trivial winding of the order parameter in momentum space. By mapping the Hamiltonian to the $(1+1)$d Dirac Hamiltonian, it is shown that the zero modes, analogous to the Jackiw-Rebbi mode, are protected by the index theorem. Finally, we propose possible experimental realizations.
Recent experimental breakthrough in magnetic Weyl semimetals have inspired exploration on the novel effects of various magnetic structures in these materials. Here we focus on a domain wall structure which connects two uniform domains with different magnetization directions. We study the topological superconducting state in presence of an s-wave superconducting pairing potential. By tuning the chemical potential, we can reach a topological state, where a chiral Majorana mode or zero-energy Majorana bound state is localized at the edges of the domain walls. This property allows a convenient braiding operation of Majorana modes by controlling the dynamics of domain walls.
In superconducting thin films, engineered lattice of antidots (holes) act as an array of columnar pinning sites for the vortices and thus lead to vortex matching phenomena at commensurate fields guided by the lattice spacing. The strength and nature of vortex pinning is determined by the geometrical characteristics of the antidot lattice (such as the lattice spacing $a_0$, antidot diameter $d$, lattice symmetry, orientation, etc) along with the characteristic length scales of the superconducting thin films, viz., the coherence length ($xi$) and the penetration depth ($lambda$). There are at least two competing scenarios: (i) multiple vortices sit on each of the antidots at a higher matching period, and, (ii) there is nucleation of vortices at the interstitial sites at higher matching periods. Furthermore it is also possible for the nucleated interstitial vortices to reorder under suitable conditions. We present our experimental results on NbN antidot arrays in the light of the above scenarios.
This work discusses theoretically the interplay between the superconducting and ferromagnetic proximity effects, in a diffusive normal metal strip in contact with a superconductor and a non-uniformly magnetized ferromagnetic insulator. The quasiparticle density of states of the normal metal shows clear qualitative signatures of triplet correlations with spin one (TCS1). When one goes away from the superconduting contact, TCS1 focus at zero energy under the form of a peak surrounded by dips, which show a typical spatial scaling behavior. This behavior can coexist with a focusing of singlet correlations and triplet correlations with spin zero at finite but subgap energies. The simultaneous observation of both effects would enable an unambigous characterization of TCS1.
We start by showing that the most generic spin-singlet pairing in a superconducting Weyl/Dirac semimetal is specified by a $U(1)$ phase $e^{iphi}$ and $two~real~numbers$ $(Delta_s,Delta_5)$ that form a representation of complex algebra. Such a complex superconducting state realizes a $Z_2times U(1)$ symmetry breaking in the matter sector where $Z_2$ is associated with the chirality. The resulting effective XY theory of the fluctuations of the $U(1)$ phase $phi$ will be now augmented by coupling to another dynamical variable, the $chiral~angle$ $chi$ that defines the polar angle of the complex number $(Delta_s,Delta_5)$. We compute this coupling by considering a Josephson set up. Our energy functional of two phase variables $phi$ and $chi$ allows for the realization of a half-vortex (or double Cooper pair) state and its BKT transition. The half-vortex state is sharply characterized by a flux quantum which is half of the ordinary superconductors. Such a $pi$-periodic Josephson effect can be easily detected as doubled ac Josephson frequency. We further show that the Josephson current $I$ is always accompanied by a $chiral~Josephson~current$ $I_5$. Strain pseudo gauge fields that couple to the $chi$, destabilize the half-vortex state. We argue that our complex superconductor realizes an extension of XY model that supports confinement transition from half-vortex to full vortex excitations.
We use a scanning nanometer-scale superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) to image individual vortices in amorphous superconducting MoSi thin films. Spatially resolved measurements of the magnetic field generated by both vortices and Meissner screening satisfy the Pearl model for vortices in thin films and yield values for the Pearl length and bulk penetration depth at 4.2 K. Flux pinning is observed and quantified through measurements of vortex motion driven by both applied currents and thermal activation. The effects of pinning are also observed in metastable vortex configurations, which form as the applied magnetic field is reduced and magnetic flux is expelled from the film. Understanding and controlling vortex dynamics in amorphous thin films is crucial for optimizing devices such as superconducting nanowire single photon detectors (SNSPDs), the most efficient of which are made from MoSi, WSi, and MoGe.