Chirality sensitive effect on surface states in chiral p-wave superconductors

TL;DR

This paper investigates how magnetic fields influence surface states in chiral p-wave superconductors, revealing chirality-dependent effects on low-energy bound states and proposing a test to identify superconductor chirality.

Contribution

It demonstrates the chirality-sensitive behavior of surface states under magnetic fields and introduces a method to determine superconductor chirality.

Findings

Magnetic field orientation affects Andreev bound states.

Vortices induce zero-energy peaks or gaps depending on chirality.

Proposes a chirality-sensitive experimental test.

Abstract

We study the local density of states at the surface of a chiral p-wave superconductor in the presence of a weak magnetic field. As a result, the formation of low-energy Andreev bound states is either suppressed or enhanced by an applied magnetic field, depending on its orientation with respect to the chirality of the p-wave superconductor. Similarly, an Abrikosov vortex, which is situated not too far from the surface, leads to a zero-energy peak of the density of states, if its chirality is the same as that of the superconductor, and to a gap structure for the opposite case. We explain the underlying principle of this effect and propose a chirality sensitive test on unconventional superconductors.