We investigate effects of disorder on the density of states, the single particle response function and optical conductivity in multiband superconductors with s_{+-} symmetry of the order parameter, where s_{+-} -> s_{++} transition may take place. In
the vicinity of the transition the superconductive gapless regime is realized. It manifests itself in anomalies in the above mentioned properties. As a result, intrinsically phase-insensitive experimental methods like ARPES, tunneling and terahertz spectroscopy may be used for revealing of information about the underlying order parameter symmetry.
We consider a two-band superconductor with relative phase $pi $ between the two order parameters as a model for the superconducting state in ferropnictides. Within this model we calculate the microwave response and the NMR relaxation rate. The influe
nce of intra- and interband impurity scattering beyond the Born and unitary limits is taken into account. We show that, depending on the scattering rate, various types of power law temperature dependencies of the magnetic field penetration depth and the NMR relaxation rate at low temperatures may take place.
In this paper we discuss the normal and superconducting state properties of two pnictide superconductors, LaOFeAs and LaONiAs, using Migdal-Eliashberg theory and density functional perturbation theory. For pure LaOFeAs, the calculated electron-phonon
coupling constant $lambda=0.21$ and logarithmic-averaged frequency $omega_{ln}=206 K$, give a maximum $T_c$ of 0.8 K, using the standard Migdal-Eliashberg theory. Inclusion of multiband effects increases the Tc only marginally. To reproduce the experimental $T_c$, a 5-6 times larger coupling constant would be needed. Our results indicate that standard electron-phonon coupling is not sufficient to explain superconductivity in the whole family of Fe-As based superconductors. At the same time, the electron-phonon coupling in Ni-As based compounds is much stronger and its normal and superconducting state properties can be well described by standard Migdal-Eliashberg 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. Second, surface bound states may appear, both at zero and at non-zero energies. These effects do not occur in multiband superconductors without interband sign reversal, though the interference can still strongly modify the conductance spectra.
The newly discovered iron pnictide superconductors apparently present an unusual case of interband-channel pairing superconductivity. Here we show that, in the limit where the pairing occurs within the interband channel, several surprising effects oc
cur quite naturally and generally: different density-of-states on the two bands lead to several unusual properties, including a gap ratio which behaves inversely to the ratio of density-of-states; the weak-coupling limit of the Eliashberg and the BCS theory, commonly taken as equivalent, in fact predict qualitatively different dependence of the $Delta_{1}/Delta_{2}$ and $Delta/T_{c}$ ratios on coupling constants. We show analytically that these effects follow directly from the interband character of superconductivity. Our results show that in the interband-only pairing model the maximal gap ratio is $sqrt{N_{2}/N_{1}}$ as strong-coupling effects act only to reduce this ratio. This suggests that if the large experimentally reported gap ratios (up to a factor 2) are correct, the pairing mechanism must include more intraband interaction than is usually assumed.
