2018/02/28 by D. Singh, Mathias S. Scheurer, M. S. Scheurer +3
Materials Science · Mathematics · Physics and Astronomy · #Condensed matter physics #Geometry #Iron-based superconductors research #Magnetic and transport properties of perovskites and related materials #Mathematics #Muon spin spectroscopy #Pairing #Physics #Quantum mechanics #Rare-earth and actinide compounds #Relaxation (psychology) #Spin (aerodynamics) #Superconductivity #Symmetry (geometry) #Symmetry breaking #Thermodynamics #cond-mat.supr-con
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevb.102.134511
published as Phys. Rev. B 102, 134511 (2020) · 10 Pages, 6 figures
arxiv created 2020/10/27 · openalex publication_date 2020/10/27 · arxiv updated 2020/10/28 · openalex created_date 2020/11/09 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/06
Noncentrosymmetric superconductors have sparked significant research interests due to their exciting properties, such as the admixture of spin-singlet and spin-triplet pairing. Here we report on the muon spin rotation and relaxation and thermodynamic measurements on the noncentrosymmetric superconductor La7Rh3, which show an isotropic superconducting gap but also spontaneous time-reversal-symmetry breaking occurring at the onset of superconductivity. We show that our results pose severe constraints on any microscopic theory of superconductivity in this system. A symmetry analysis identifies ground states compatible with time-reversal-symmetry breaking, and the resulting gap functions are discussed. Furthermore, general energetic considerations indicate the relevance of electron-electron interactions for the pairing mechanism, in accordance with hints of spin fluctuations revealed in susceptibility measurements.