Nonreciprocal superconductivity

Margarita Davydova; Max Geier; Liang Fu

doi:10.1126/sciadv.adr4817

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arXiv · 2407.01681

Nonreciprocal superconductivity

Margarita Davydova·Max Geier·Liang Fu

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Abstract

We introduce the notion of nonreciprocal superconductors where inversion and time-reversal symmetries are broken, giving rise to an asymmetric energy dispersion. We demonstrate that nonreciprocal superconductivity can be detected by Andreev reflection. In particular, a transparent junction between a normal metal and a nonreciprocal superconductor generally exhibits an asymmetric current-voltage characteristic, which serves as a defining feature of nonreciprocal superconductivity. Unlike the superconducting diode effects, our detection scheme has the advantage of avoiding large critical currents that turn the superconducting state to normal. Finally, we discuss candidates for nonreciprocal superconductivity, including graphene, UTe2, as well as engineered platforms.

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Margarita Davydova, Max Geier, Liang Fu. 2024-07-01. Nonreciprocal superconductivity. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adr4817

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