# Intersubband pairing induced Fulde-Ferrell phase in metallic nanofilms

## TL;DR

This paper predicts a new intersubband Fulde-Ferrell superconducting phase in metallic nanofilms caused by confinement effects, which can occur without external magnetic fields and involves complex pairing states.

## Contribution

It introduces the concept of an intersubband Fulde-Ferrell phase induced by quantum confinement, expanding understanding of unconventional superconductivity in nanostructures.

## Key findings

- IFF phase can form spontaneously without magnetic field.
- Competition between intersubband and intrasubband pairing affects phase stability.
- Magnetic field induces a transition to mixed pairing states.

## Abstract

We consider a free-standing metallic nanofilm with a predominant intersubband paring which emerges as a result of the confinement in the growth direction. We show that the Fermi wave vector mismatch between the subbands, detrimental to the intersubband pairing, can be compensated by the non-zero center of mass momentum of the Cooper pairs. This leads to the spontaneous appearance of the intersubband Fulde-Ferrell (IFF) state, even in the absence of an external magnetic field. Our study of the intrasubband pairing channel on the stability of the IFF phase shows that the former strongly competes with the intersubband pairing, which prohibits the coexistence of the two superconducting phases. Interestingly, upon application of the magnetic field we find a transition to an exotic mixed spin-singlet subband-triplet and spin-triplet subband-singlet paired state. Finally, we discuss the possibility of existence of the IFF pairing in novel superconducting materials.