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DOE OSTI · 1904377

Supercurrent diode effect and finite-momentum superconductors

Yuan, Noah F. Q.·Fu, Liang
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Abstract

When both inversion and time-reversal symmetries are broken, the critical current of a superconductor can be nonreciprocal. In this work, we show that, in certain classes of two-dimensional superconductors with antisymmetric spin–orbit coupling, Cooper pairs acquire a finite momentum upon the application of an in-plane magnetic field, and, as a result, critical currents in the direction parallel and antiparallel to the Cooper pair momentum become unequal. This supercurrent diode effect is also manifested in the polarity dependence of in-plane critical fields induced by a supercurrent. These nonreciprocal effects may be found in polar SrTiO 3 film, few-layer MoTe 2 in the Td phase, and twisted bilayer graphene in which the valley degree of freedom plays a role analogous to spin.

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75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITYelectromagnetic responsesnonreciprocal transportsuperconductivity

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Yuan, Noah F. Q., Fu, Liang. 2022-04-04. Supercurrent diode effect and finite-momentum superconductors. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2119548119

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