Anomalous acoustoelectric signatures of chiral superconductivity

TL;DR

This paper proposes the anomalous acoustoelectric effect as a new, sensitive electrical method to detect chiral p-wave superconductivity in two-dimensional materials, overcoming optical probe limitations.

Contribution

It introduces the anomalous acoustoelectric effect as a robust signature for identifying chiral superconductivity, especially near the critical temperature.

Findings

Acoustic waves induce a measurable transverse dc current in chiral superconductors.

The acoustoelectric response dominates near the critical temperature and is unaffected by electron-hole asymmetry.

This effect provides a high-sensitivity electrical probe for unconventional pairing detection.

Abstract

The identification of unconventional pairing in two-dimensional materials is a central challenge in modern condensed matter physics. While chiral p-wave superconductivity offers a promising platform for topological quantum computing, its detection remains elusive due to the inherent limitations of optical probes in the two-dimensional limit. We propose the anomalous acoustoelectric effect as a robust, alternative to optical signature of p-wave paring symmetry. We demonstrate that an acoustic wave induces a transverse dc current resulting in a measurable condensate phase difference on sample boundaries originating from the anisotropic scattering of quasiparticles in the absence of an external magnetic field. Crucially, the quasiparticle-mediated acoustoelectric response dominates near the critical temperature and, unlike the superconducting condensate, is not suppressed by electron-hole asymmetry factor. These results establish the anomalous acoustoelectric effect as a high-sensitivity electrical probe of the chiral order parameter, providing a tool for experimental detecting of unconventional pairing in superconductors.