arXiv subjects

M. A. Silaev

Publications and source records attributed to M. A. Silaev.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2017

Generalized quasiclassical theory of the long-range proximity effect and spontaneous currents in superconducting heterostructures with strong ferromagnets

We present the generalized quasiclassical theory of the long-range superconducting proximity effect in heterostructures with strong ferromagnets, where the exchange splitting is of the order of Fermi energy. In the ferromagnet the propagation of spin-triplet Cooper pairs residing on the spin-split Fermi surfaces is shown to be governed by the spin-dependent Abelian gauge field which results either from the spin-orbital coupling or from the magnetic texture. The additional gauge field enters into the quasiclassical equations in superposition with the usual electromagnetic vector potential and results in the generation of spontaneous superconducting currents and phase shifts in various geometries which provide the sources of long-range spin-triplet correlations. We derive the Usadel equations and boundary conditions for the strong ferromagnet and consider several generic examples of the Josephson systems supporting spontaneous currents.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2017

Double-slit Fraunhofer pattern as the signature of the Josephson effect between Berezinskii superconductors through the ferromagnetic vortex

I apply the recently developed formalism of generalized quasiclassical theory to show that using hybrid superconducting systems with non-collinear strong ferromagnets one can realize the Josephson junction between Berezinskii-type superconductors. The reported calculation reproduces main features observed in the recent experiment, namely the the slightly asymmetric double-slit Fraunhofer interference pattern of the Josephson current through the ferromagnetic vortex. The double-slit structure results from the spatially inhomogeneous Berezinskii state with the amplitude controlled by the local angle between magnetic moments in two ferromagnetic layers. The critical current asymmetry by the sign of magnetic field can signal the presence of spontaneous supercurrents generated by the non-coplanar magnetic texture near the core of the ferromagnetic vortex core. I demonstrate that ferromagnetic vortex can induce spontaneous vorticity in the odd-frequency order parameter manifesting the possibility of the emergent magnetic field to create topological defects.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2017

Self-consistent calculation of the flux-flow conductivity in diffusive superconductors

In the framework of Keldysh-Usadel kinetic theory, we study the temperature dependence of flux-flow conductivity (FFC) in diffusive superconductors. By using self-consistent vortex solutions we find the exact values of dimensionless parameters that determine the diffusion-controlled FFC both in the limit of the low temperatures and close to the critical one. Taking into account the electron-phonon scattering we study the transition between flux-flow regimes controlled either by the diffusion or the inelastic relaxation of non-equilibrium quasiparticles. We demonstrate that the inelastic electron-phonon relaxation leads to the strong suppression of FFC as compared to the previous estimates making it possible to obtain the numerical agreement with experimental results.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2017

$θ_0$ thermal Josephson junction

We predict the thermal counterpart of the anomalous Josephson effect in superconductor/ferromagnet/superconductor junctions with non-coplanar magnetic texture. The heat current through the junction is shown to have the phase-sensitive interference component proportional to $\cos(θ- θ_0)$, where $θ$ is the Josephson phase difference and $θ_0$ is the texture-dependent phase shift. In the generic tri-layer magnetic structure with the spin-filtering tunnel barrier $θ_0$ is determined by the spin chirality of magnetic configuration and can be considered as the direct manifestation of the energy transport with participation of spin-triplet Cooper pairs. In case of the ideal spin filter the phase shift is shown to be robust against spin relaxation caused by the spin-orbital scattering. Possible applications of the coupling between heat flow and magnetic precession are discussed.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2017

Anomalous current in diffusive ferromagnetic Josephson junctions

We demonstrate that in diffusive superconductor/ferromagnet/superconductor (S/F/S) junctions a finite, {\it anomalous}, Josephson current can flow even at zero phase difference between the S electrodes. The conditions for the observation of this effect are non-coplanar magnetization distribution and a broken magnetization inversion symmetry of the superconducting current. The latter symmetry is intrinsic for the widely used quasiclassical approximation and prevent previous works, based on this approximation, from obtaining the Josephson anomalous current. We show that this symmetry can be removed by introducing spin-dependent boundary conditions for the quasiclassical equations at the superconducting/ferromagnet interfaces in diffusive systems. Using this recipe we considered generic multilayer magnetic systems and determine the ideal experimental conditions in order to maximize the anomalous current.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2015

Lifshitz transition in the double-core vortex in 3He-B

We study the spectrum of fermion states localized within the vortex core of a weak-coupling p-wave superfluid. The low energy spectrum consists of two anomalous branches that cross the Fermi level as functions of the impact parameter, and generate large density of states at the locations of the half cores of the vortex. Fermi liquid interactions significantly change the vortex structure, which leads to Lifshitz transition in the effective Fermi surface of the vortex core fermions. We apply the results to revise the interpretation of an experiment on rotational dynamics of vortices in superfluid 3He-B.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2013

Self-consistent electronic structure of multiquantum vortices in superconductors at $T\ll T_c$

We investigate the multiquantum vortex states in type-II superconductor both in "clean" and "dirty" regimes defined by impurity scattering rate. Within quasiclassical approach we calculate self-consistently the order parameter distributions and electronic local density of states (LDOS) profiles. In the clean case we find the low temperature vortex core anomaly predicted analytically in G.E. Volovik, JETP Lett. {\bf 58}, 455 (1993) and obtain the interference patterns in LDOS distributions analogous to found previously in the framework of Bogolubov-de Gennes theory. In dirty regime the multiquantum vortices feature a peculiar plateau in the zero-energy LDOS profile which can be considered as an experimental hallmark of multiquantum vortex formation in mesoscopic superconductors.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2013

Majorana fermions on the Abrikosov flux lattice in a $p_x+ip_y$ superconductor and thermal conductivity in superclean regime

We show that periodic lattice of Abrikosov vortices in chiral $p$ wave superconductor in general supports fermionic states with zero energy provided the intervortex distance is smaller than the critical one. The zero modes appear at the intersection with the Fermi level of electronic magnetic Bloch bands formed by the overlapping vortex core states. The Bloch bands are robust against lattice disorder induced by fluctuations of vortex positions and can transmit the energy flow across the lattice. The hallmark of zero modes on Bloch bands in electronic heat conductivity is discussed.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2013

Topological Fermi arcs in superfluid $^3$He

We consider fermionic states bound on domain walls in a Weyl superfluid $^3$He-A and on interfaces between $^3$He-A and a fully gapped topological superfluid $^3$He-B. We demonstrate that in both cases fermionic spectrum contains Fermi arcs which are continuous nodal lines of energy spectrum terminating at the projections of two Weyl points to the plane of surface states in momentum space. The number of Fermi arcs is determined by the index theorem which relates bulk values of topological invariant to the number of zero energy surface states. The index theorem is consistent with an exact spectrum of Bogolubov- de Gennes equation obtained numerically meanwhile the quasiclassical approximation fails to reproduce the correct number of zero modes. Thus we demonstrate that topology describes the properties of exact spectrum beyond quasiclassical approximation.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2012

Hybridization and interference effects for localized superconducting states in strong magnetic field

Within the Ginzburg-Landau model we study the critical field and temperature enhancement for crossing superconducting channels formed either along the sample edges or domain walls in thin-film magnetically coupled superconducting - ferromagnetic bilayers. The corresponding Cooper pair wave function can be viewed as a hybridization of two order parameter (OP) modes propagating along the boundaries and/or domain walls. Different momenta of hybridized OP modes result in the formation of vortex chains outgoing from the crossing point of these channels. Near this crossing point the wave functions of the modes merge giving rise to the increase in the critical temperature for a localized superconducting state. The origin of this critical temperature enhancement caused by the wave function squeezing is illustrated for a limiting case of approaching parallel boundaries and/or domain walls. Using both the variational method and numerical simulations we have studied the critical temperature dependence and OP structure vs the applied magnetic field and the angle between the crossing channels.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2011

Evolution of edge states in topological superfluids during the quantum phase transition

The quantum phase transition between topological and non-topological insulators or between fully gapped superfluids/superconductors can occur without closing the gap. We consider the evolution of the Majorana edge states on the surface of topological superconductor during transition to the topologically trivial superconductor on example of non-interacting Hamiltonian describing the spin-triplet superfluid 3He-B. In conventional situation when the gap is nullified at the transition, the spectrum of Majorana fermions shrinks and vanishes after the transition to the trivial state. If the topological transition occurs without the gap closing, the Majorana fermion spectrum disappears by escaping to ultraviolet, where Green's function approaches zero. This demonstrates the close connection between the topological transition without closing the gap and zeroes in the Green's function. Similar connection takes place in interacting systems where zeroes may occur due to interaction.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2011

Majorana states and longitudinal NMR absorption in $^3$He-B film

The topological superfluid $^3$He-B supports massless Dirac spectrum of surface bound states which can be described in terms of the self-conjugated Majorana field operators. We discuss here the possible signature of surface bound states in nuclear magnetic resonance absorption spectrum in a $^3$He-B film. It is shown that transitions between different branches of the surface states spectrum lead to the non-zero absorption signal in longitudinal NMR scheme when the frequency is larger than the Larmour one.

cond-mat.other↗

arXiv2011

Stable fractional flux vortices and unconventional magnetic state in two-component superconductors

In the framework of London theory we study the novel magnetic state in two-component superconductors with finite density of fractional flux vortices stabilized near the surface. We show that the process of vortex entry into the two-component superconductor consists of several steps, while the external magnetic field increases from zero. At the first stage only vortices in one of the order parameter components penetrate and sit at the equilibrium position near the surface. When the magnetic field is increased further vortices in the second order parameter component eventually enter the superconductor. Such a complex partial vortex penetration leads to the modification of a Bean-Livingston barrier and a magnetization curve as compared to conventional single-component superconductors. We discuss the possibility of experimental identification of protonic superconductivity in the projected superconducting state of liquid metallic hydrogen and hydrogen rich alloys with the help of partial vortex penetration effect.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2010

Topological superfluid $^3$He-B: fermion zero modes on interfaces and in the vortex core

Many quantum condensed matter systems are strongly correlated and strongly interacting fermionic systems, which cannot be treated perturbatively. However, topology allows us to determine generic features of their fermionic spectrum, which are robust to perturbation and interaction. We discuss the nodeless 3D system, such as superfluid $^3$He-B, vacuum of Dirac fermions, and relativistic singlet and triplet supercondutors which may arise in quark matter. The systems, which have nonzero value of topological invariant, have gapless fermions on the boundary and in the core of quantized vortices. We discuss the index theorem which relates fermion zero modes on vortices with the topological invariants in combined momentum and coordinate space.

cond-mat.other↗

arXiv2010

Magnetic resonance within vortex cores in the B phase of superfluid $^3$He

We investigate a magnetic susceptibility of vortices in the B phase of multicomponent triplet superfluid $^3$He focusing on a contribution of bound fermionic states localized within vortex cores. Several order parameter configurations relevant to different types of quantized vortices in $^3$He B are considered. It is shown quite generally that an ac magnetic susceptibility has a sharp peak at the frequency corresponding to the energy of interlevel spacing in the spectrum of bound fermions. We suggest that measuring of a magnetic resonance within vortex cores can provide a direct probe of a discrete spectrum of bound vortex core excitations.

cond-mat.other↗

arXiv2009

Spectrum of bound fermion states on vortices in $^3$He-B

We study subgap spectra of fermions localized within vortex cores in $^3$He-B. We develop an analytical treatment of the low-energy states and consider the characteristic properties of fermion spectra for different types of vortices. Due to the removed spin degeneracy the spectra of all singly quantized vortices consist of two different anomalous branches crossing the Fermi level. For singular $o$ and $u$ vortices the anomalous branches are similar to the standard Caroli-de Gennes -Matricon ones and intersect the Fermi level at zero angular momentum yet with different slopes corresponding to different spin states. On the contrary the spectral branches of nonsingular vortices intersect the Fermi level at finite angular momenta which leads to the appearance of a large number of zero modes, i.e. energy states at the Fermi level. Considering the $v$, $w$ and $uvw$ vortices with superfluid cores we show that the number of zero modes is proportional to the size of the vortex core.

cond-mat.other↗

arXiv2009

Local density of states around single vortices and vortex pairs: effect of boundaries and hybridization of vortex core states

The profiles of local density of states (LDOS) around different vortex configurations in mesoscopic superconductors are studied taking account of the interference of quasiparticle waves experiencing Andreev reflection within the vortex cores and normal reflection at the boundaries or defects. For subgap energy levels these interference effects reveal themselves in a nontrivial dependence of the positions of the LDOS peaks on the intervortex distance and sample size: the peak positions generally do not coincide with the superconducting phase singularity points. The LDOS profiles are calculated for three generic examples: (i) vortex-vortex pair; (ii) vortex positioned near a flat boundary; (iii) vortex positioned in the center of a superconducting disk. The resulting evolution of the Andreev interference patterns could be observable by scanning tunneling spectroscopy techniques.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2009

On the possibility of a long range proximity effect in a ferromagnetic nanoparticle

We study the proximity effect in a ferromagnetic nanoparticle having a vortex magnetization pattern. We show that for axisymmetric system consisting of a circular particle and a magnetic vortex situated at the center of it no long range superconducting correlations are induced. It means that induced superconductivity is localized in the small area near the superconducting electrode. However, in the real systems axial symmetry can be broken by either a shift of the magnetic vortex from the origin or geometrical anisotropy of the ferromagnetic particle. In this case a long range proximity effect is possible.

cond-mat.supr-con↗