Unconventional pairing induced anomalous transverse shift in Andreev reflection

TL;DR

This paper predicts an anomalous transverse shift in Andreev reflection caused by unconventional superconductor pairing, offering a new method to probe pairing structures via measurable voltage signals.

Contribution

It introduces a novel effect where the reflected hole experiences a transverse shift in Andreev reflection, providing a new technique to characterize unconventional superconductor pairings.

Findings

Transverse shift is sensitive to the superconducting gap structure.

The shift exhibits characteristic features for different pairing types.

The effect can be detected through voltage signals.

Abstract

Superconductors with unconventional pairings have been a fascinating subject of research, for which a central issue is to explore effects that can be used to characterize the pairing. The process of Andreev reflection--the reflection of an electron as a hole at a normal-mental-superconductor interface by transferring a Cooper pair into the superconductor--offers a basic mechanism to probe the pairing through transport. Here we predict that in Andreev reflection from unconventional superconductors, the reflected hole acquires an anomalous spatial shift normal to the plane of incidence, arising from the unconventional pairing. The transverse shift is sensitive to the superconducting gap structure, exhibiting characteristic features for each pairing type, and can be detected as voltage signals. Our work not only unveils a fundamentally new effect but also suggests a powerful new technique capable of probing the structure of unconventional pairings.