arXiv subjects

Kazushige Machida

Publications and source records attributed to Kazushige Machida.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2014

Eilenberger theory and London theory for transverse components of flux line lattice form factors in uniaxial superconductors

We theoretically study the magnetic field orientation dependence of longitudinal and transverse flux line lattice form factors in uniaxial superconductors with anisotropy ratio corresponding to YBa_2_Cu_3_O_{7-delta}. We discuss influences of the anisotropy ratio of coherence length, and differences between the s-wave and the d_{x^2-y^2}-wave pairings. The calculations are performed by two methods, the Eilenberger theory and the London theory comparatively, and we study the cutoff function of the extended London theory, which will be helpful in the analysis of the small angle neutron scattering in the vortex states.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2014

Symmetry Protected Topological Superfluid $^3$He-B

Owing to the richness of symmetry and well-established knowledge on the bulk superfluidity, the superfluid $^3$He has offered a prototypical system to study intertwining of topology and symmetry. This article reviews recent progress in understanding the topological superfluidity of $^3$He in a multifaceted manner, including symmetry consideration, the Jackiw-Rebbi's index theorem, and the quasiclassical theory. Special focus is placed on the symmetry protected topological superfuidity of the $^3$He-B confined in a slab geometry. The $^3$He-B under a magnetic field is separated to two different sub-phases: The symmetry protected topological phase and non-topological phase. The former phase is characterized by the existence of symmetry protected Majorana fermions. The topological phase transition between them is triggered off by the spontaneous breaking of a hidden discrete symmetry. The critical field is quantitatively determined from the microscopic calculation that takes account of magnetic dipole interaction of $^3$He nucleus. It is also demonstrated that odd-frequency even-parity Cooper pair amplitudes are emergent in low-lying quasiparticles. The key ingredients, symmetry protected Majorana fermions and odd-frequency pairing, bring an important consequence that the coupling of the surface states to an applied field is prohibited by the hidden discrete symmetry, while the topological phase transition with the spontaneous symmetry breaking is accompanied by anomalous enhancement and anisotropic quantum criticality of surface spin susceptibility. We also illustrate common topological features between topological crystalline superconductors and symmetry protected topological superfluids, taking UPt$_3$ and Rashba superconductors as examples.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2014

Knight shift spectrum in vortex states in s-wave and d-wave superconductors on the basis of Eilenberger theory

From the spatial structure of vortex lattice state calculated by Eilenberger theory, we study the resonance line shape of Knight shift of the paramagnetic moments in the s-wave and the d-wave superconductors, comparing with the Redfield pattern of the internal field distribution. We discuss the deviation from the temperature dependence of the Yosida function, and the magnetic field dependence of the paramagnetic susceptibility. In addition to the calculation in the clean limit, influences of the impurity scattering are estimated in the Born limit and in the unitary limit. These results are helpful for the analysis of NMR experiments to know properties of the superconductors.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2014

Multiband superconductivity with unexpected deficiency of nodal quasiparticles in CeCu2Si2

Superconductivity in the heavy-fermion compound CeCu2Si2 is a prototypical example of Cooper pairs formed by strongly correlated electrons. For more than 30 years, it has been believed to arise from nodal d-wave pairing mediated by a magnetic glue. Here, we report a detailed study of the specific heat and magnetization at low temperatures for a high-quality single crystal. Unexpectedly, the specific-heat measurements exhibit exponential decay with a two-gap feature in its temperature dependence, along with a linear dependence as a function of magnetic field and the absence of oscillations in the field angle, reminiscent of multiband full-gap superconductivity. In addition, we find anomalous behavior at high fields, attributed to a strong Pauli paramagnetic effect. A low quasiparticle density of states at low energies with a multiband Fermi-surface topology would open a new door into electron pairing in CeCu2Si2.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2014

Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov States in Two-Band Superconductors

We examine the possible phase diagram in an $H$-$T$ plane for Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO) states in a two-band Pauli-limiting superconductor. We here demonstrate that, as a result of the competition of two different modulation length scales, the FFLO phase is divided into two phases by the first-order transition: the $Q_1$- and $Q_2$-FFLO phases at the higher and lower fields. The $Q_2$-FFLO phase is further divided by successive first order transitions into an infinite family of FFLO subphases with rational modulation vectors, forming a {\it devil's staircase structure} for the field dependences of the modulation vector and paramagnetic moment. The critical magnetic field above which the FFLO is stabilized is lower than that in a single-band superconductor. However, the tricritical Lifshitz point $L$ at $T_{\rm L}$ is invariant under two-band parameter changes.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2014

Multi-band effects on Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov states of Pauli-limited superconductors

Multi-band effects on Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO) states of a Pauli-limiting two-band superconductor are studied theoretically, based on self-consistent calculations of the Bogoliubov-de Gennes equation. First, we examine the phase diagrams of two-band systems with a passive band in which the intraband pairing interaction is absent and superconductivity is induced by a Cooper pair tunneling from an active band. It is demonstrated that the temperature of the Lifshitz point at which three second-order transition lines meet is independent of the Cooper pair tunneling strength. The BCS-FFLO critical field becomes lower than the Lifshitz point with increasing the interband tunneling strength, and the resultant phase diagram is qualitatively different from that in a single-band superconductor. We also study the thermodynamics of Pauli-limiting two-band superconductors with comparable intraband pairing interactions. As a consequence of a competing effect between two bands, the FFLO phase is divided into two phases: $Q_1$- and $Q_2$-FFLO phases. The $Q_1$-FFLO is favored in a high field regime and the $Q_2$-FFLO becomes stable in the lower field. In a particular case, the latter is further subdivided into a family of FFLO states with rational modulation lengths, leading to a devil's staircase structure in the field-dependence of physical quantities. The critical field, above which the FFLO is stabilized, is lower than that in a single band superconductor, while the temperature of tricritical Lifshitz point is invariant under the change of two-band parameters.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2013

Thermodynamic Study of Nodal Structure and Multiband Superconductivity of KFe2As2

The temperature, field, and field-orientation dependences of the electronic specific heat Ce of the ironpnictide superconductor KFe2As2 have been investigated. Thermodynamic evidence of the presence of line nodes is obtained from the T and $\sqrt{H}$ linear dependences of Ce/T in the low-T and low-H region. Under a magnetic field rotated within the tetragonal ab plane, a fourfold oscillation is observed in Ce with a sign change at 0.08Tc. On the basis of the Doppler-shift analysis, the observed Ce minima in H // [100] at low T indicate the presence of line nodes somewhere on the Fermi surface where the Fermi velocity is parallel to the [100] direction; this is consistent with the octet-line-node scenario proposed recently by a photoemission experiment. In addition, the low-T Ce/T exhibits an unusual upturn on cooling at moderate fields only for H // ab, which is understood in terms of the strong Pauli paramagnetic effect on multiband superconductivity.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2013

Verification of Anisotropic s-Wave Superconducting Gap Structure in CeRu2 from Low-Temperature Field-Angle-Resolved Specific Heat Measurements

The field-angle-resolved specific heat C(T,H,phi) of the f-electron superconductor CeRu2 (Tc=6.3 K) has been measured at low temperatures down to 90 mK on two single crystals of slightly different qualities. We reveal that the C(phi) oscillation in a rotating magnetic field, originating from the gap anisotropy, diminishes at low temperatures below the characteristic field H*, as expected for an anisotropic gap without nodes. We also observe the suppression of H* by decreasing the gap anisotropy ratio $Δ_{\rm min}/Δ_{\rm max}$, a behavior that has been predicted from a microscopic theory for anisotropic s-wave superconductors. The present technique is established as a powerful tool for investigating minimum-gap structures as well as nodal structures.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2013

UPt$_3$ as a Topological Crystalline Superconductor

We investigate the topological aspect of the spin-triplet $f$-wave superconductor UPt$_3$ through microscopic calculations of edge- and vortex-bound states based on the quasiclassical Eilenberger and Bogoliubov-de Gennes theories. It is shown that a gapless and linear dispersion exists at the edge of the $ab$-plane. This forms a Majorana valley, protected by the mirror chiral symmetry. We also demonstrate that, with increasing magnetic field, vortex-bound quasiparticles undergo a topological phase transition from topologically trivial states in the double-core vortex to zero-energy states in the normal-core vortex. As long as the $d$-vector is locked into the $ab$-plane, the mirror symmetry holds the Majorana property of the zero-energy states, and thus UPt$_3$ preserves topological crystalline superconductivity that is robust against the crystal field and spin-orbit interaction.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2013

Transverse magnetic field and chiral-nonchiral transition in vortex states for nearly B//ab in chiral p-wave superconductors

On the basis of Eilenberger theory, we study the vortex state when a magnetic field is applied nearly parallel to the ab plane in a chiral p-wave superconductor with a large anisotropy ratio of ab and c, as in Sr2RuO4. We quantitatively estimate the field dependence of the pair potential, magnetization, and flux line lattice form factor, and study the transition from the chiral p_- state at low fields to the nonchiral p_y state at high fields. Even for exactly parallel fields to the ab plane, transverse fields exist in the chiral state. The chiral-nonchiral transition disappears when the magnetic field orientation is tilted within 1 degree from the ab plane. This may be a reason why the experimental detection of this transition is difficult.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2013

Rotation of Triangular Vortex Lattice in the Two-Band Superconductor MgB2

To identify the contributions of the multiband nature and the anisotropy of a microscopic electronic structure to a macroscopic vortex lattice morphology, we develop a method based on the Eilenberger theory near Hc2 combined with the first-principles band calculation to estimate the stable vortex lattice configuration. For a typical two-band superconductor MgB2, successive transitions of vortex lattice orientation that have been observed recently by small angle neutron scattering [Das, et al.: Phys. Rev. Lett. 108 (2012) 167001] are explained by the characteristic field-dependence of twoband superconductivity and the competition of sixfold anisotropy between the sigma- and pi-bands. The reentrant transition at low temperature reflects the Fermi velocity anisotropy of the sigma-band.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2013

Surface Bound States and Spontaneous Current in Cyclic d-Wave Superconductors

On the basis of Eilenberger theory, surface bound states and spontaneous current are studied in cyclic d-wave superconductors as a broken time-reversal symmetry of superconductivity in cubic lattice symmetry. We discuss how the spontaneous current and the electronic states depend on the orientation of the surface relative to the symmetry of superconductivity. The condition for topological Fermi arcs of zero-energy surface bound states to appear is identified in the complex pairing function of the cyclic d-wave.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2013

Anomalous Field-Angle Dependence of the Specific Heat of Heavy-Fermion Superconductor UPt3

We have investigated the field-angle variation of the specific heat C(H, phi, theta) of the heavy-fermion superconductor UPt3 at low temperatures T down to 50 mK, where phi and theta denote the azimuthal and polar angles of the magnetic field H, respectively. For T = 88 mK, C(H, theta=90) increases proportionally to H^{1/2} up to nearly the upper critical field Hc2, indicating the presence of line nodes. By contrast, C(H, theta=0) deviates upward from the H^{1/2} dependence for (H/Hc2)^{1/2} > 0.5. This behavior can be related to the suppression of Hc2 along the c direction, whose origin has not been resolved yet. Our data show that the unusual Hc2 limit becomes marked only when theta is smaller than 30. In order to explore the possible vertical line nodes in the gap structure, we measured the phi dependence of C in wide T and H ranges. However, we did not observe any in-plane angular oscillation of C within the accuracy of dC/C~0.5%. This result implies that field-induced excitations of the heavy quasiparticles occur isotropically with respect to phi, which is apparently contrary to the recent finding of a twofold thermal-conductivity oscillation.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2013

Multiple-gap structure in electric-field-induced surface superconductivity

Local superconducting gap structure is studied as a function of nanoscale depth in electric-field-induced surface superconductivity such as in SrTiO3. We examine solutions of Bogoliubov-de Gennes equation in two limiting confinement potential cases of electric field with and without screening effects. As unique properties different from bulk superconductivity, there appear in-gap states even for isotropic s-wave pairing, due to multiple gap structure of sub-band dependent surface superconductivity. These determine the depth-dependence of local superconductivity.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2012

Symmetry Protected Topological Order and Spin Susceptibility in Superfluid 3He-B

We here demonstrate that the superfluid 3He-B under a magnetic field in a particular direction stays topological due to a discrete symmetry, that is, in a symmetry protected topological order. Due to the symmetry protected topological order, helical surface Majorana fermions in the B phase remain gapless and their Ising spin character persists. We unveil that the competition between the Zeeman magnetic field and dipole interaction involves anomalous quantum phase transition where topological phase transition takes place together with spontaneous breaking of symmetry. Based on the quasiclassical theory, we illustrate that the phase transition is accompanied by anisotropic quantum criticality of spin susceptibilities on the surface, which is detectable in NMR experiments.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2012

Stable Skyrmions in SU(2) Gauged Bose-Einstein Condensates

We demonstrate that the three-dimensional Skyrmion, which has remained elusive so far, spontaneously appears as the ground state of $SU$(2) symmetric Bose-Einstein condensates coupled with a non-Abelian gauge field. The gauge field is a three-dimensional analogue of the Rashba spin-orbit coupling. Upon squashing the SO(3) symmetric gauge field to one- or two-dimensional shapes, we find that the ground state continuously undergoes a change from a three-dimensional to a one- or two-dimensional Skyrmion, which is identified by estimating winding numbers and helicity. All of the emerged Skyrmions are physically understandable with the concept of the helical modulation in a unified way. These topological objects might potentially be realizable in two-component BECs experimentally.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2012

Edge Current due to Majorana Fermions in Superfluid $^3$He A- and B-Phases

We propose a method utilizing edge current to observe Majorana fermions in the surface Andreev bound state for the superfluid $^3$He A- and B-phases. The proposal is based on self-consistent analytic solutions of quasi-classical Green's function with an edge. The local density of states and edge mass current in the A-phase or edge spin current in the B-phase can be obtained from these solutions. The edge current carried by the Majorana fermions is partially cancelled by quasiparticles (QPs) in the continuum state outside the superfluid gap. QPs contributing to the edge current in the continuum state are distributed in energy even away from the superfluid gap. The effect of Majorana fermions emerges in the depletion of the edge current by temperature within a low-temperature range. The observations that the reduction in the mass current is changed by $T^2$-power in the A-phase and the reduction in the spin current is changed by $T^3$-power in the B-phase establish the existence of Majorana fermions. We also point out another possibility for observing Majorana fermions by controlling surface roughness.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2012

A Spin Triplet Superconductor UPt$_3$

Motivated by a recent angle-resolved thermal conductivity experiment that shows a twofold gap symmetry in the high-field and low-temperature C phase in the heavy-fermion superconductor UPt$_3$, we group-theoretically identify the pairing functions as $E_{1u}$ with the $f$-wave character for all the three phases. The pairing functions are consistent with the observation as well as with a variety of existing measurements. By using a microscopic quasi-classical Eilenberger equation with the identified triplet pairing function under applied fields, we performed detailed studies of the vortex structures for three phases, including the vortex lattice symmetry, the local density of states, and the internal field distribution. These quantities are directly measurable experimentally by SANS, STM/STS, and NMR, respectively. It is found that, in the B phase of low $H$ and low $T$, the double-core vortex is stabilized over a singular vortex. In the C phase, thermal conductivity data are analyzed to confirm the gap structure proposed. We also give detailed comparisons of various proposed pair functions, concluding that the present scenario of $E_{1u}$ with the $f$-wave, which is an analogue to the triplet planar state, is better than the $E_{2u}$ or $E_{1g}$ scenario. Finally, we discuss the surface topological aspects of Majorana modes associated with the $E_{1u}^f$ state of planar like features.

cond-mat.supr-con↗