Superconducting diode effect and nonreciprocal transition lines

TL;DR

This paper develops a comprehensive theory of the superconducting diode effect (SDE), linking it to nonreciprocal transition lines and phase transitions in superconductors, and demonstrates how electric current can control and probe these phenomena.

Contribution

It provides a generalized formula for the intrinsic SDE based on Ginzburg-Landau theory and explores its relation to nonreciprocal phase transitions using mean-field theory.

Findings

SDE sign reversal is linked to helical superconductivity crossover.

Transition lines under supercurrent cross, causing SDE sign reversal.

Moderate electric currents induce re-entrant superconducting phases and first-order transitions.

Abstract

Nonreciprocity in superconductors is attracting much interest owing to its fundamental importance as well as its potential applicability to engineering. In this paper, we generalize the previous theories of the intrinsic superconducting diode effect (SDE) and microscopically elucidate its relationship with the nonreciprocity of the transition lines under supercurrent. We derive a general formula for the intrinsic SDE by using the phenomenological Ginzburg-Landau theory and thereby show that the SDE is determined by the relative angle between the magnetic field and an effective anti-symmetric spin-orbit coupling defined from the Ginzburg-Landau coefficients. The obtained formula offers a convenient criterion to obtain a finite SDE. We also study the SDE and the nonreciprocal phase transitions of the $s$-wave and $d$-wave superconductors by using the mean-field theory. It is established that the sign reversal of the SDE accompanied by the crossover of the helical superconductivity is a general feature irrespective of the system details. We study the phase transition lines in the temperature-magnetic-field phase diagram under the supercurrent, and clarify that the sign reversal of the SDE generally accompanies the crossings of the transition lines under positive and negative current directions. Furthermore, the superconducting phases under the supercurrent even become re-entrant under moderate strength of the electric current, implying the current-induced first-order phase transitions. Our findings establish the electric current as the control parameter and the powerful probe to study the superconducting properties related to the finite-momentum Cooper pairs.