Dissipationless counterflow currents above T_c in bilayer superconductors

Abstract

We report the existence of dissipationless currents in bilayer superconductors above the critical temperature $T_c$, assuming that the superconducting phase transition is dominated by phase fluctuations. Using a semiclassical $U(1)$ lattice gauge theory, we show that thermal fluctuations cause a transition from the superconducting state at low temperature to a resistive state above $T_c$, accompanied by the proliferation of unbound vortices. Remarkably, while the proliferation of vortex excitations causes dissipation of homogeneous in-plane currents, we find that counterflow currents, flowing in opposite direction within a bilayer, remain dissipationless. The presence of a dissipationless current channel above $T_c$ is attributed to the inhibition of vortex motion by local superconducting coherence within a single bilayer, in the presence of counterflow currents. Our theory presents a possible scenario for the pseudogap phase in bilayer cuprates.