Models of Superconductivity in Sr_2RuO_4

This work presents a quantitative theoretical study of the sound attenuation in the unconventional multiband superconductor Sr2RuO4 below the superconducting transition temperature Tc. Sound attenuation in this material is shown to have the remarkable property of being able to identify different nodal structures on different bands. The nodal structures on the \gamma band on the one hand, and on the \alpha and \beta bands on the other, are both found to be characterized by the...

We analyze the possibilities of triplet pairing in Sr2RuO4 based upon an idea of interlayer coupling. We have considered two models differing by the effective interactions. In one model the quasi-particle spectra have horizontal line nodes on all three Fermi surface sheets, while in the other the spectra have line or point nodes on the alpha and beta sheets and no nodes on the gamma sheet. Both models reproduce the experimental heat capacity and penetration depth results, but...

Sr$_2$RuO$_4$ has stood as the leading candidate for a spin-triplet superconductor for 26 years. Recent NMR experiments have cast doubt on this candidacy, however, and it is difficult to find a theory of superconductivity that is consistent with all experiments. What is needed are symmetry-based experiments that can rule out broad classes of possible superconducting order parameters. Here we use resonant ultrasound spectroscopy to measure the entire symmetry-resolved elastic ...

Two models for the superconducting state of Sr2RuO4 have been analyzed. In an "orbital model" the in-plane and out of-plane interactions between electrons on neighboring Ru atoms are assumed to be attractive. In spite of the single particle hybrisation of the orbitals the model shows two superconducting transitions and fine-tuning of parameters is necessary to get a single transition. Otherwise the model correctly describes a number of experimental data. The "orbital proximit...

The character of the superconducting phase of Sr$_2$RuO$_4$, is topic of a longstanding discussion. The classification of the symmetry allowed order parameters has relied on the tetragonal symmetry of the lattice and on cylindrical Fermi surfaces, usually taken to be featureless, not including the non-trivial symmetry aspects related to their orbital content. Here we show how the careful account of the orbital degree of freedom in Sr$_2$RuO$_4$, leads to a much richer classif...

The possible superconducting states of strontium ruthenate (Sr$_2$RuO$_4$) are organized into irreducible representations of the point group $D_{4h}$, with a special emphasis on nodes occurring within the superconducting gap. Our analysis covers the cases with and without spin-orbit coupling and takes into account the possibility of inter-orbital pairing within a three-band, tight-binding description of Sr$_2$RuO$_4$. No dynamical treatment if performed: we are confining ours...

We investigate the specific heat of ultra-pure single crystals of Sr2RuO4, a leading candidate of a spin-triplet superconductor. We for the first time obtained specific-heat evidence of the first-order superconducting transition below 0.8 K, namely divergent-like peaks and clear hysteresis in the specific heat at the upper critical field. The first-order transition occurs for all in-plane field directions. The specific-heat features for the first-order transition are found to...

We have obtained strong experimental evidence for the full determination of the superconducting gap structure in all three bands of the spin-triplet superconductor Sr2RuO4 for the first time. We have extended the measurements of the field-orientation dependent specific heat to include conical field rotations consisting of in-plane azimuthal angle phi-sweeps at various polar angles theta performed down to 0.1 K. Clear 4-fold oscillations of the specific heat and a rapid suppre...

Sr$_2$RuO$_4$ has been under intensive scrutiny over the past years after new NMR measurements unveiled that the superconducting state might be a spin singlet. One of the best order parameter candidates in light of these new experiments is a chiral d-wave state with $d_{xz}+id_{yz}$ symmetry. This order parameter has been overlooked given the strong two-dimensional character of the normal state electronic structure. Recently, a phenomenological proposal based on local interac...

The nature of the Cooper pairing in the paradigmatic unconventional superconductor Sr$_2$RuO$_4$ is an outstanding puzzle in condensed matter physics. Despite the tremendous efforts made in the past twenty-seven years, neither the pairing symmetry nor the underlying pairing mechanism in this material has been understood with clear consensus. This is largely due to the lack of a superconducting order that is capable of interpreting in a coherent manner the numerous essential e...