Spin current in topologically trivial and nontrivial noncentrosymmetric superconductors

TL;DR

This paper theoretically investigates spin currents at the surfaces of noncentrosymmetric superconductors, revealing topologically distinct surface states and their contributions to spin transport.

Contribution

It introduces a method to calculate quasiclassical Green's functions and distinguishes surface states in trivial and nontrivial topological phases.

Findings

Counterpropagating surface states exist in nontrivial phases, contributing to spin current.

Surface states depend on momentum and topological class, unlike pure p-wave cases.

Finite spin current arises from both surface states and continuum states.

Abstract

We study theoretically the surface of time-reversal-symmetric, noncentrosymmetric superconductor with mixed singlet and triplet order parameters. A pair of counterpropagating subgap quasiparticle surface bound states with opposite spin projections are obtained in the nontrivial Z$_2$ case where the triplet component is larger than the singlet one, contributing to a spin current. In contrast to the pure p-wave cases, these subgap states do not have a fixed spin projections but depend on the momenta along the surface. In the trivial Z$_2$ case where the singlet order parameter is larger, no subgap surface bound states show up. In both cases, there is also a finite contribution to the spin current from the continuum states with energies between the two gaps. The method for obtaining the quasiclassical Green's functions associated with the noncentrosymmetric superconductors is also presented.