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Relativistic analysis of the pairing symmetry of the noncentrosymmetric superconductor LaNiC2

Quintanilla, Jorge, Hillier, Adrian D, Annett, James F, Cywinski, Robert (2010) Relativistic analysis of the pairing symmetry of the noncentrosymmetric superconductor LaNiC2. Physical Review B: Condensed Matter and Materials Physics, 82 (17). p. 174511. ISSN 0163-1829. (doi:10.1103/PhysRevB.82.174511) (KAR id:26055)

Abstract

We present a relativistic symmetry analysis of the allowed pairing states in the noncentroymmetric superconductor LaNiC2. The case of zero spin-orbit coupling (SOC) is discussed first and then the evolution of the symmetry-allowed superconducting instabilities as SOC is adiabatically turned on is described. In addition to mixing singlet with triplet pairing, SOC splits some triplet pairing states with degenerate order-parameter spaces into nondegenerate pairing states with different critical temperatures. We address the breaking of time-reversal symmetry detected in recent muon spin-relaxation experiments and show that it is only compatible with such nonunitary triplet pairing states. In particular, an alternative scenario featuring conventional singlet pairing with a small admixture of triplet pairing is shown to be incompatible with the experimental data.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1103/PhysRevB.82.174511
Uncontrolled keywords: Physics of Quantum Materials
Subjects: Q Science
Q Science > QC Physics
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Natural Sciences > Physics and Astronomy
Funders: Science and Technology Facilities Council (https://ror.org/057g20z61)
Research England (https://ror.org/02wxr8x18)
South East Physics Network (https://ror.org/03jyskd58)
Depositing User: Jorge Quintanilla Tizon
Date Deposited: 17 Nov 2010 11:37 UTC
Last Modified: 12 Jul 2022 10:40 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/26055 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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