2009/03/31 by J. A. Sauls, Matthias Eschrig, M. Eschrig · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Condensed Matter Physics #Condensed matter physics #Cooper pair #Homogeneous space #Physics #Physics of Superconductivity and Magnetism #Point reflection #Quantum mechanics #Quantum, superfluid, helium dynamics #Superconductivity #Superfluidity #Symmetry (geometry) #Vortex #cond-mat.supr-con
paper · pdf · doi:10.1088/1367-2630/11/7/075008
published as New J. Phys. 11 075008 (2009) · 28 pages, 7 figures - Added: expanded discussion of theoretical and computational methods Added: additional references on vortex studies and theory of inhomogeneous superconductivity Improved: figures and descriptions
arxiv created 2009/05/21 · openalex publication_date 2009/07/17 · arxiv updated 2010/11/16 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Superconductors exhibit unconventional electronic and magnetic properties if the Cooper pair wave function breaks additional symmetries of the normal phase. Rotational symmetries in spin and orbital spaces, as well as discrete symmetries such as space and time inversion, may be spontaneously broken. When this occurs in conjunction with broken global U (1) gauge symmetry, new physical phenomena are exhibited below the superconducting transition that are characteristic of the broken symmetries of the pair condensate. This is particularly true of vortices and related defects. Superconductors with a multi-component order parameter exhibit a variety of different vortex structures and closely related defects that are not possible in condensates belonging to a one-dimensional (1D) representation. In this paper, we discuss the structure of vortices in fermionic superfluids and superconductors which break chiral symmetry, i.e. combined broken time inversion and 2D parity. In particular, we consider the structure of vortices and defects that might be realized in thin films of 3 He-A and the layered superconductor Sr 2 RuO 4 , and identify some of the characteristic signatures of broken chiral symmetry that should be revealed by these defects.