Half-quantum vortices on c-axis domain walls in chiral p-wave superconductors

TL;DR

This paper theoretically investigates the structure of c-axis domain walls and the formation of half-quantum vortices in chiral p-wave superconductors, providing insights into their properties and potential experimental detection.

Contribution

It offers a combined Ginzburg-Landau and Bogoliubov-deGennes analysis of c-axis domain walls and introduces the concept of half-quantum vortices on these walls in chiral p-wave superconductors.

Findings

Domain walls can be modeled as Josephson junctions in anisotropic systems.

Half-quantum vortices can form on c-axis domain walls.

Theoretical descriptions align with possible experimental observations.

Abstract

Chiral superconductors are two-fold degenerate and domains of opposite chirality can form, separated by domain walls. There are indications of such domain formation in the quasi two-dimensional putative chiral $p$-wave superconductor Sr$_2$RuO$_4$, yet no experiment has explicitly resolved individual domains in this material. In this work, $c$-axis domain walls lying parallel to the layers in chiral $p$-wave superconductors are explored from a theoretical point of view. First, using both a phenomenological Ginzburg-Landau and a quasiclassical Bogoliubov-deGennes approach, a consistent qualitative description of the domain wall structure is obtained. While these domains are decoupled in the isotropic limit, there is a finite coupling in anisotropic systems and the domain wall can be treated as an effective Josephson junction. In the second part, the formation and structure of half-quantum vortices (HQV) on such $c$-axis domain walls are discussed.