Model for determining the pairing symmetry and relative sign of the energy gap of iron-arsenide superconductors using tunneling spectroscopy

Selective equal spin Andreev reflection at vortex core center in magnetic semiconductor-superconductor heterostructure

Sau, Lutchyn, Tewari and Das Sarma (SLTD) proposed a heterostructure consisting of a semiconducting thin film sandwiched between an s-wave superconductor and a magnetic insulator and showed possible Majorana zero mode. Here we study spin polarization of the vortex core states and spin selective Andreev reflection at the vortex center of the SLTD model. In the topological phase, the differential conductance at the vortex center contributed from the Andreev reflection, is spin selective and has a quantized value \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$${(dI/dV)}_{A}^{topo}=2{e}^{2}/h$$\end{document}(dI/dV)Atopo=2e2/h at zero bias. In the topological trivial phase, \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$${(dI/dV)}_{A}^{trivial}$$\end{document}(dI/dV)Atrivial at the lowest quasiparticle energy of the vortex core is spin selective due to the spin-orbit coupling (SOC). Unlike in the topological phase, \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$${(dI/dV)}_{A}^{trivial}$$\end{document}(dI/dV)Atrivial is suppressed in the Giaever limit and vanishes exactly at zero bias due to the quantum destruction interference.

Majorana Zero Mode Detected with Spin Selective Andreev Reflection in the Vortex of a Topological Superconductor

Recently, theory has predicted a Majorana zero mode (MZM) to induce spin selective Andreev reflection (SSAR), a novel magnetic property which can be used to detect the MZM. Here, spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy or spectroscopy has been applied to probe SSAR of MZMs in a topological superconductor of the Bi_{2}Te_{3}/NbSe_{2} heterostructure. The zero-bias peak of the tunneling differential conductance at the vortex center is observed substantially higher when the tip polarization and the external magnetic field are parallel rather than antiparallel to each other. This spin dependent tunneling effect provides direct evidence of MZM and reveals its magnetic property in addition to the zero energy modes. Our work will stimulate MZM research on these novel physical properties and, hence, is a step towards experimental study of their statistics and application in quantum computing.

A phenomenological theory of the anomalous pseudogap phase in underdoped cuprates

The theoretical description of the anomalous properties of the pseudogap phase in the underdoped region of the cuprate phase diagram lags behind the progress in spectroscopic and other experiments. A phenomenological ansatz, based on analogies to the approach to Mott localization at weak coupling in lower dimensional systems, has been proposed by Yang et al (2006 Phys. Rev. B 73 174501). This ansatz has had success in describing a range of experiments. The motivation underlying this ansatz is described and the comparisons with experiment are reviewed. Implications for a more microscopic theory are discussed together with the relation to theories that start directly from microscopic strongly coupled Hamiltonians.

Andreev and single-particle tunneling spectra of underdoped cuprate superconductors

We study tunneling spectroscopy between a normal metal and an underdoped cuprate superconductor modeled by a phenomenological theory in which the pseudogap is a precursor to the undoped Mott insulator. In the low barrier tunneling limit, the spectra are enhanced by Andreev reflection only within a voltage region of the small superconducting energy gap. In the high barrier tunneling limit, the spectra show a large energy pseudogap associated with single particle tunneling. Our theory semiquantitatively describes the two gap behavior observed in tunneling experiments.

Spin reversal effect in hybrid s(±)-wave/p-wave Josephson junction

We report a theoretical study on a hybrid Josephson junction consisting of a proposed s( ± )-wave ferropnictide superconductor and a p-wave superconductor. It is found that the relative π phase shift intrinsic to the s( ± )-wave pairing can lead to an accumulated spin reversal effect at the junction interface and that the critical current has a vanishing point with the variation of the ratio of the interface resistances for each band. The spin reversal effect also appears with an increase of temperature and meanwhile the critical current exhibits a reentrant behavior. These findings can not appear for a usual s-wave state, so that they can be used to discriminate the s( ± )-wave pairing in superconducting ferropnictides from the conventional s-wave symmetry.

Pi junction to probe antiphase s-wave pairing in iron pnictide superconductors

Josephson junctions between a FeAs-based superconductor with antiphase s-wave pairing and a conventional s-wave superconductor are studied. The translational invariance in a planar junction between a single crystal pnictide and an aluminum metal greatly enhances the relative weight of electron pockets in the pnictide to the critical current. In a wide doping region of the pnictide, a planar and a point contact junction have opposite phases, which can be used to design a trijunction ring with pi phase to probe the antiphase pairing.