Induction of p-wave and d-wave order parameters in s-wave superconductors with light pulses

TL;DR

This paper proposes a theoretical model showing how microwave radiation can induce p- and d-wave components in an s-wave superconductor, enabling local manipulation of its order parameters.

Contribution

The authors develop a generalized time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau model that incorporates gradient terms allowing the induction of higher-order symmetry components in s-wave superconductors.

Findings

Microwave radiation can generate p-wave and d-wave components in s-wave superconductors.

Gradient coupling terms enable local control of superconducting order parameters.

The model suggests a new way to manipulate superconducting states using light.

Abstract

We construct a generalized time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau model to demonstrate the possibility of inducing p- and d-wave components in an originally pure s-wave centrosymmetric superconductor via microwave radiation. In this framework, specializing to $O_h$ point-group symmetry, we introduce gradient terms that couple the s-wave superconducting order parameter with other symmetry-allowed components. The singlet-to-singlet gradient terms are quadratic in spatial derivatives, while, in the presence of spin-orbit coupling, linear-in-derivatives terms coupling singlet and triplet order parameters are also permitted. Through the minimal substitution procedure, these terms enable coupling between different superconducting order parameters via the vector potential, thereby leading to the generation of p-wave, d-wave, and other symmetry-allowed components. Such a manipulation of the superconducting state locally via a microwave beam could be considered as one more facet of the concept of quantum printing.