D-wave-like nodal superconductivity in the organic conductor (TMTSF)2ClO4

TL;DR

This paper provides a theoretical explanation for the high magnetic field upper critical limit in (TMTSF)2ClO4, supporting the presence of d-wave-like nodal superconductivity over other pairing symmetries.

Contribution

It compares different superconducting pairing scenarios and demonstrates that d-wave-like nodal pairing explains the experimental critical magnetic field in (TMTSF)2ClO4.

Findings

D-wave-like nodal scenario exceeds the paramagnetic limit and matches experimental Hc2=6T.

D-wave-like nodal pairing is strongly supported for (TMTSF)2ClO4.

Alternative scenarios like s-wave or node-less d-wave are less consistent with observations.

Abstract

We suggest theoretical explanation of the high upper critical magnetic field, perpendicular to conducting chains, Hc2, experimentally observed in the superconductor (TMTSF)2ClO4, in terms of singlet superconducting pairing. In particular, we compare the results of d-wave-like nodal, d-wave-like node-less, and s-wave scenarios of superconductivity. We show that, in d-wave-like nodal scenario, superconductivity can naturally exceed both the orbital upper critical magnetic field and Clogston-Shandrasekhar paramagnetic limit as well as reach experimental value, Hc2 = 6T, in contrast to d-wave-like node-less and s-wave scenarios. In our opinion, the obtained results are strongly in favor of d-wave-like nodal superconductivity in (TMTSF)2ClO4, whereas, in a sister compound, (TMTSF)2PF6, we expect either the existence of triplet order parameter or the coexistence of triplet and singlet order parameters.