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Title: Gapless superconductivity and string theory

Abstract

Coexistence of superconducting and normal components in nanowires at currents below the critical (a "mixed" state) would have important consequences for the nature and range of potential applications of these systems. For clean samples, it represents a genuine interaction effect, not seen in the mean-field theory. Here in this paper we consider properties of such a state in the gravity dual of a strongly coupled superconductor constructed from D3 and D5 branes. We find numerically uniform gapless solutions containing both components but argue that they are unstable against phase separation, as their free energies are not convex. We speculate on the possible nature of the resulting non-uniform sate ("emulsion") and draw analogies between that state and the familiar mixed state of a type II superconductor in a magnetic field.

Authors:
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC)
OSTI Identifier:
1197892
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1454540
Grant/Contract Number:  
SC0007884
Resource Type:
Journal Article: Published Article
Journal Name:
Nuclear Physics. B
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Name: Nuclear Physics. B Journal Volume: 887 Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 0550-3213
Publisher:
Elsevier
Country of Publication:
Netherlands
Language:
English
Subject:
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY

Citation Formats

Khlebnikov, Sergei. Gapless superconductivity and string theory. Netherlands: N. p., 2014. Web. doi:10.1016/j.nuclphysb.2014.07.026.
Khlebnikov, Sergei. Gapless superconductivity and string theory. Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nuclphysb.2014.07.026
Khlebnikov, Sergei. 2014. "Gapless superconductivity and string theory". Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nuclphysb.2014.07.026.
@article{osti_1197892,
title = {Gapless superconductivity and string theory},
author = {Khlebnikov, Sergei},
abstractNote = {Coexistence of superconducting and normal components in nanowires at currents below the critical (a "mixed" state) would have important consequences for the nature and range of potential applications of these systems. For clean samples, it represents a genuine interaction effect, not seen in the mean-field theory. Here in this paper we consider properties of such a state in the gravity dual of a strongly coupled superconductor constructed from D3 and D5 branes. We find numerically uniform gapless solutions containing both components but argue that they are unstable against phase separation, as their free energies are not convex. We speculate on the possible nature of the resulting non-uniform sate ("emulsion") and draw analogies between that state and the familiar mixed state of a type II superconductor in a magnetic field.},
doi = {10.1016/j.nuclphysb.2014.07.026},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1197892}, journal = {Nuclear Physics. B},
issn = {0550-3213},
number = C,
volume = 887,
place = {Netherlands},
year = {Wed Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 2014},
month = {Wed Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 2014}
}

Journal Article:
Free Publicly Available Full Text
Publisher's Version of Record at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nuclphysb.2014.07.026

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Works referenced in this record:

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