Interplay between the Fulde-Ferrell phase and Larkin-Ovchinnikov phase in the superconducting ring pierced by an Aharonov-Bohm flux

TL;DR

This paper explores the coexistence and competition of Fulde-Ferrell and Larkin-Ovchinnikov superconducting phases in a mesoscopic ring influenced by Aharonov-Bohm flux and magnetic field, revealing stable phases and phase boundaries.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of the phase diagram and spatial profiles of the order parameter using Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations, highlighting the interplay between FF and LO phases in a mesoscopic system.

Findings

Both FF and LO phases are stable in the system.

Phase boundaries are determined by free energy comparison.

Mesoscopic effects distort the phase diagrams.

Abstract

We study the phase diagram of a superconducting ring threaded by an Aharonov-Bohm flux and an in-plane magnetic Zeeman field. The simultaneous presence of both the external flux and the in-plane magnetic field leads to the competition between the Fulde-Ferrell (FF) phase and the Larkin-Ovchinnikov (LO) phase. Using the Bogoliubov-de Gennes equation, we investigate the spacial profile of the order parameter. Both the FF phase and the LO phase are found to exist stably in this system. The phase boundary is determined by comparing the free energy. The distortion of the phase diagrams due to the mesoscopic effect is also studied.