Vortex states in an unconventional superconductor and the mixed phases of UPt sub 3

Journal Article · Tue May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1990 · Physical Review, B: Condensed Matter; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.41.8891· OSTI ID:6986145

Tokuyasu, T A; Hess, D W; Sauls, J A ^[1]

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1. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Illinois 60208 (USA)

Recent experiments on UPt{sub 3} indicate the existence of more than one superconducting phase and an associated unconventional order parameter belonging to a nontrivial representation of the crystal point group {ital D}{sub 6{ital h}}. In this article we consider the Ginzburg-Landau (GL) theory for the vortex states in the two-dimensional {ital E}{sub 1} representation for the order parameter, the representation believed to describe the phases of UPt{sub 3}. One of the zero-field superconducting phases is predicted to break time-reversal symmetry. We show that the lower critical field for vortex nucleation in a ground state with broken time-reversal symmetry exhibits a novel asymmetry. Observation of this asymmetry in any superconductor would provide clear evidence for an unconventional order parameter. We present solutions to the GL equations for singly quantized vortices. For rectilinear vortices along the {ital c} axis two classes of solutions are found: (i) axially symmetric vortices and (ii) nonaxisymmetric vortices which spontaneously break the axial symmetry of the condensate density. We discuss the structure of these vortices, their relation to the asymmetry of {ital H}{sub {ital c}1}, the possibility of phase transitions between vortex states of different symmetry, and the phase diagram of UPt{sub 3} in the {ital H}-{ital T} plane.

• OSTI ID: 6986145
• Journal Information: Physical Review, B: Condensed Matter; (USA), Journal Name: Physical Review, B: Condensed Matter; (USA) Vol. 41:13; ISSN PRBMD; ISSN 0163-1829
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360104* -- Metals & Alloys-- Physical Properties
656100 -- Condensed Matter Physics-- Superconductivity
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
CRITICAL FIELD
DIAGRAMS
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
GINZBURG-LANDAU THEORY
INVARIANCE PRINCIPLES
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MIXED STATE
PHASE DIAGRAMS
PHASE STUDIES
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PLATINUM COMPOUNDS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY
T INVARIANCE
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
URANIUM COMPOUNDS