Quantum fluctuation-induced first-order breaking of time-reversal symmetry in unconventional superconductors
Fuente:
arXiv
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| Natura: | Preprint |
| Pubblicazione: |
2025
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| _version_ | 1866915907376250880 |
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| author | Shi, Yin |
| author_facet | Shi, Yin |
| contents | Spontaneous time-reversal symmetry breaking in superconductors with competing non-degenerate pairing channels is an exotic quantum phase transition that could give rise to robust topological superconductivity and unusual magnetism. It is proposed mostly in two-dimensional systems and is signaled by a nonzero relative phase between the two superconducting order parameters, hence it should particularly be prone to order-parameter phase fluctuations. Nevertheless, the existing understanding of it is still at the mean-field level. Here, we illustrate the non-negligible effects of the phase fluctuations on such quantum phase transitions using the hole-doped square-lattice $t$-$J$ model as an example. We derive the phase fluctuation-corrected free energy and show that under the quantum phase fluctuations, the time-reversal asymmetric $s+id$ phase region splits off a dome featuring a first-order border with the $d$ phase, indicating the possibility of a phase separation into the time-reversal symmetric and asymmetric phases. The phase fluctuations also narrow the range of the $s+id$ phase considerably. We further discuss the implications of our findings for recent experiments on disorder-induced first-order quantum breakdown of superconductivity and promising high-temperature topological superconductivity in twisted cuprate Josephson junctions. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2510_09234 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Quantum fluctuation-induced first-order breaking of time-reversal symmetry in unconventional superconductors Shi, Yin Superconductivity Spontaneous time-reversal symmetry breaking in superconductors with competing non-degenerate pairing channels is an exotic quantum phase transition that could give rise to robust topological superconductivity and unusual magnetism. It is proposed mostly in two-dimensional systems and is signaled by a nonzero relative phase between the two superconducting order parameters, hence it should particularly be prone to order-parameter phase fluctuations. Nevertheless, the existing understanding of it is still at the mean-field level. Here, we illustrate the non-negligible effects of the phase fluctuations on such quantum phase transitions using the hole-doped square-lattice $t$-$J$ model as an example. We derive the phase fluctuation-corrected free energy and show that under the quantum phase fluctuations, the time-reversal asymmetric $s+id$ phase region splits off a dome featuring a first-order border with the $d$ phase, indicating the possibility of a phase separation into the time-reversal symmetric and asymmetric phases. The phase fluctuations also narrow the range of the $s+id$ phase considerably. We further discuss the implications of our findings for recent experiments on disorder-induced first-order quantum breakdown of superconductivity and promising high-temperature topological superconductivity in twisted cuprate Josephson junctions. |
| title | Quantum fluctuation-induced first-order breaking of time-reversal symmetry in unconventional superconductors |
| topic | Superconductivity |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.09234 |