Multi-Orbital Superconductivity in SrTiO3 /LaAlO3 Interface and SrTiO3 Surface

TL;DR

This paper presents a theoretical study of superconductivity in SrTiO3 nanostructures, highlighting the role of Rashba spin-orbit coupling and orbital effects in stabilizing high-field superconducting phases.

Contribution

It introduces a three-orbital model that explains the large upper critical fields and quasi-one-dimensional superconducting phases in SrTiO3/LaAlO3 interfaces.

Findings

Rashba spin-orbit coupling stabilizes high-field superconductivity.

Superconductivity mainly involves dyz and dzx orbitals at high densities.

Large upper critical fields exceed the Pauli limit.

Abstract

We investigate the superconductivity in two-dimensional electron systems formed in SrTiO3 nanostructures. Our the- oretical analysis is based on the three-orbital model, which takes into account t2g orbitals of Ti ions. Because of the interfacial breaking of mirror symmetry, a Rashba-type antisymmetric spin-orbit coupling arises from the cooperation of intersite and interorbital hybridyzation and atomic LS coupling. This model shows a characteristic spin texture and carrier density dependence of Rashba spin-orbit coupling through the orbital degree of freedom. Superconductivity is mainly caused by heavy quasiparticles consisting of dyz and dzx orbitals at high carrier densities. We find that the Rashba spin-orbit coupling stabilizes a quasi-one-dimensional superconducting phase caused by one of the dyz or dzx orbitals at high magnetic fields along interfaces. This quasi-one-dimensional superconducting phase is protected against para- magnetic depairing effects by the Rashba spin-orbit coupling and realizes a large upper critical field Hc2 beyond the Pauli-Clogston-Chandrasekhar limit. This finding is consistent with an extraordinarily large upper critical field observed in SrTiO3 /LaAlO3 interfaces and its carrier density dependence. The possible coexistence of superconductivity and fer- romagnetism in SrTiO3 /LaAlO3 interfaces may also be attributed to this quasi-one-dimensional superconducting phase.