Continuous 3D Freezing Transition in Layered Superconductors

Leon Balents; Leo Radzihovsky

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.76.3416

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Continuous 3D Freezing Transition in Layered Superconductors

Leon Balents, Leo Radzihovsky

DOI 10.1103/PhysRevLett.76.3416 · Physical Review Letters

T1

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Abstract

We use Ginzburg-Landau theory to study the Hc2 transition in layered superconductors with field parallel to the layers, finding a continuous 3D freezing transition to a triangular vortex supersolid in the three-dimensional XY universality class. If screening effects are neglected, off-diagonal–long-range order survives only for d>dlc=5/2. The partial breaking of the lowest Landau level degeneracy induced by layering leads to a local selection of a triangular lattice structure, in contrast to the global free energy minimization in, e.g., Abrikosov's calculation. Our results are relevant to artificially layered superconductors and to strongly anisotropic high Tc materials.

Source-reported materials — not catalogue approval

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