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arXiv · 1212.4095

Inhomogeneous Superconducting States of Mesoscopic Thin-Walled Cylinders in External Magnetic Fields

K. Aoyama·R. Beaird·D. E. Sheehy·I. Vekhter
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Abstract

We theoretically investigate the appearance of spatially modulated superconducting states in mesoscopic superconducting thin-wall cylinders in a magnetic field at low temperatures. Quantization of the electron motion around the circumference of the cylinder leads to a discontinuous evolution of the spatial modulation of the superconducting order parameter along the transition line T_c(H). We show that this discontinuity leads to the non-monotonic behavior of the specific heat jump at the onset of superconductivity as a function of temperature and field. We argue that this geometry provides an excellent opportunity to directly and unambiguously detect distinctive signatures of the Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov modulation of the superconducting order.

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K. Aoyama, R. Beaird, D. E. Sheehy, I. Vekhter. 2012-12-17. Inhomogeneous Superconducting States of Mesoscopic Thin-Walled Cylinders in External Magnetic Fields. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.110.177004

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