2008/06/15 by A. B. Vorontsov, Ilya Vekhter, I. Vekhter +1
Materials Science · Mathematics · Physics and Astronomy · #Condensed matter physics #Critical field #Field (mathematics) #Impurity #Iron-based superconductors research #Mathematical physics #Mathematics #Order (exchange) #Pauli exclusion principle #Phase (matter) #Phase diagram #Physics #Physics of Superconductivity and Magnetism #Quantum mechanics #Rare-earth and actinide compounds #Scattering #Superconductivity #Unitarity #cond-mat.supr-con
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevb.78.180505
published as Phys. Rev. B v.78 p.180505(R) 2008 · 5 pages, 3 figures
arxiv created 2008/06/15 · openalex publication_date 2008/11/14 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We calculate the Pauli-limited upper critical field and the Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO) instability for dirty d-wave superconductors within the quasiclassical theory using the self-consistent \stackrel\ifmmode \else \\fit-matrix approximation for impurities. We find that the phase diagram depends sensitively on the scattering rate and phase shift of nonmagnetic impurities. The transition into the superconducting state is always second order for weak (Born) scattering, while in the unitarity (strong) scattering limit a first-order transition into both uniform and spatially modulated superconducting states is stabilized. Contrary to general belief, we find that the FFLO phase is robust against disorder and survives impurity scattering equivalent to a Tc suppression of roughly 40%. Our results bear on the search of FFLO states in heavy-fermion and layered organic superconductors.