Intrinsically s-wave-like property of triplet superconductors with spin-orbit coupling

Abstract

We have studied a general property of unconventional superconductors (USs) with spin-orbit coupling by solving the Bogoliubov–de Gennes equation and found that the two of four eigenfunctions for triplet pairing coincide with those for s-wave pairing when a relation holds between pairing symmetry and spin-orbit coupling, indicative of an intrinsically s-wave-like property of triplet superconductors. Applying the result, we have studied the tunneling conductance in normal metal/insulator/unconventional superconductor junctions with a pairing symmetry d(k)∝x̂ky−ŷkx. The effect of Rashba spin-orbit coupling (RSOC) is taken into account. We have found that the RSOC induces a peak at the energy gap like s-wave superconductors in the tunneling spectrum, which stems from the intrinsically s-wave-like property of a triplet component of the US. As a result, the tunneling spectrum has s- and p-wave-like features. This may serve as a tool for determining the pairing symmetry of USs without inversion symmetry.

Source-reported materials — not catalogue approval

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