Interface energy of two band superconductors

TL;DR

This paper uses Ginzburg-Landau theory to analyze the interface energy in two-band superconductors, revealing that near the critical temperature, the system behaves like a single-band superconductor, challenging the concept of type-1.5 superconductivity.

Contribution

It demonstrates that close to the transition temperature, two-band superconductors can be effectively described as single-band systems, questioning the existence of type-1.5 superconductivity in this regime.

Findings

Surface energy determined at the critical field.

Two-band problem maps onto single-band near Tc.

Challenges the existence of type-1.5 superconductivity.

Abstract

Using the Ginzburg-Landau theory for two-band superconductors, we determine the surface energy, sigma_s, between coexisting normal and superconducting states at the thermodynamic critical magnetic field. Close to the transition temperature, where the Ginzburg-Landau theory is applicable, we demonstrate that the two-band problem maps onto an effective single band problem. While the order parameters of the two bands may have different amplitudes in the homogeneous bulk, near the critical temperature the Josephson-like coupling between the bands leads to the same spatial dependence of both order parameters near the interface. This finding puts into question the possibility of intermediate, so called type-1.5 superconductivity, in the regime where the Ginzburg-Landau theory applies.