Fractional magnetoresistance oscillations in spin-triplet superconducting rings

TL;DR

This paper predicts and analyzes fractional magnetoresistance oscillations in spin-triplet superconducting rings, which serve as signatures of half-quantum vortex tunneling and confirm the spin-triplet pairing symmetry.

Contribution

The study introduces a theoretical framework using Ginzburg-Landau theory to identify fractional oscillations linked to vortex tunneling in spin-triplet superconductors.

Findings

Emergent fractional periodicity $\

Fractional oscillations depend on the ratio of spin and charge superfluid densities.

Fractional oscillations can confirm spin-triplet pairing and vortex tunneling in candidate materials.

Abstract

Half-quantum vortices in spin-triplet superconductors are predicted to host Majorana zero modes and may provide a viable platform for topological quantum computation. Recent works also suggested that, in thin mesoscopic rings, the superconducting pairing symmetry can be probed via Little-Parks-like magnetoresistance oscillations of periodicity $\Phi_0 = h / 2e$ that persist below the critical temperature. Here we use the London limit of Ginzburg-Landau theory to study these magnetoresistance oscillations resulting from thermal vortex tunneling in spin-triplet superconducting rings. For a range of temperatures in the presence of disorder, we find novel oscillations with an emergent fractional periodicity $\Phi_0 / n$, where the integer $n \geq 3$ is entirely determined by the ratio of the spin and charge superfluid densities. These fractional oscillations can unambiguously confirm the spin-triplet nature of superconductivity and directly reveal the tunneling of half-quantum vortices in candidate materials such as Sr$_2$RuO$_4$ and UTe$_2$.