Spontaneous magnetization in unitary superconductors with time reversal symmetry breaking

Lun-Hui Hu; Xuepeng Wang; T. Shang

doi:10.1103/PhysRevB.104.054520

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Spontaneous magnetization in unitary superconductors with time reversal symmetry breaking

Lun-Hui Hu, Xuepeng Wang, T. Shang

DOI 10.1103/PhysRevB.104.054520 · Physical Review B

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Abstract

We report the study of spontaneous magnetization (i.e., spin polarization) for time-reversal-symmetry-breaking (TRS-breaking) superconductors with unitary pairing potentials, in the absence of external magnetic fields or Zeeman fields. Spin-singlet (Δs) and spin-triplet (Δt) pairings can coexist in superconductors whose crystal structures lack inversion symmetry. The TRS can be spontaneously broken once a relative phase of ±π/2 is developed, forming a TRS-breaking unitary pairing state (Δs±iΔt). We demonstrate that such unitary pairing could give rise to spontaneous spin polarization with the help of spin-orbit coupling. Our result provides an alternative explanation for the TRS breaking, beyond the current understanding of such phenomena in the noncentrosymmetric superconductors. The experimental results of Zr3Ir and CaPtAs are also discussed in view of our theory.

Source-reported materials — not catalogue approval

Formula	Reported Tc (K)	Pressure (GPa)	Type
Zr3Ir Archive — visibility unverified Source-occurrence policy only; no material identity or catalogue acceptance is inferred from the formula.	2.3	Pressure not reported	unknown
CaPtAs Archive — visibility unverified Source-occurrence policy only; no material identity or catalogue acceptance is inferred from the formula.	—	Pressure not reported	unknown