Electrically Tunable Superconductivity Through Surface Orbital Polarization

Abstract

We investigate the physical mechanisms for achieving an electrical control of conventional spin-singlet superconductivity in thin films by focusing on the role of surface orbital polarization. Assuming a multiorbital description of the metallic state, due to screening effects the electric field acts by modifying the strength of the surface potential and, in turn, yields nontrivial orbital Rashba couplings. The resulting orbital polarization at the surface and in its close proximity is shown to have a dramatic impact on superconductivity. We demonstrate that, by varying the strength of the electric field, the superconducting phase can be either suppressed, i.e., turned into normal metal, or undergo a 0-π transition with the π phase being marked by nontrivial sign change of the superconducting order parameter between different bands. These findings unveil a rich scenario to design heterostructures with superconducting orbitronics effects.

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