Electron quadruplets explained

The condensate of electron quadruplets is a proposed state of matter in which Cooper pairs are formed but do not exhibit long-range order, but electron quadruplets do. Such states emerge in systems with multiple broken symmetries due to the partial melting of the underlying low-temperature order, which destroys the condensates of Cooper pairs but preserves the condensates formed by pairs of preformed fermion pairs.[1] [2] One example of the proposed electron quadruplet condensates is charge-4e superconductivity first proposed by Berg, Fradkin and Kivelson.[3] Another example is "quartic metal" phase [4] [5] is related to but distinct from those superconductors explained by the standard BCS theory; rather than expelling magnetic field lines as in the Meissner effect, it generates them, a spontaneous Nernst effect that indicates the breaking of time-reversal symmetry.[6]

Related states can form in pair-density-wave systems.[7] In systems with a greater number of broken symmetries, theoretical studies have demonstrated the existence of charge-6e and more complex orders.[8] [9] After the theoretical possibility was raised, observations consistent with electron quadrupling were published using hole-doped Ba1-xKxFe2As2 in 2021,[10] with evidence of vestigial quadrupling reported in CsV3Sb5 soon after, in early 2022.[11]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Babaev . Egor . Sudbø . Asle . Ashcroft . N. W. . October 2004 . A superconductor to superfluid phase transition in liquid metallic hydrogen . Nature . en . 431 . 7009 . 666–668 . 10.1038/nature02910 . 15470422 . cond-mat/0410408 . 2004Natur.431..666B . 1476-4687.
  2. Smiseth . J. . Smørgrav . E. . Babaev . E. . Sudbø . A. . Field- and temperature-induced topological phase transitions in the three-dimensional N -component London superconductor . Physical Review B . 6 June 2005 . 71 . 21 . 10.1103/PhysRevB.71.214509. cond-mat/0411761 .
  3. Berg . Erez . Fradkin . Eduardo . Kivelson . Steven A. . November 2009 . Charge-4e superconductivity from pair-density-wave order in certain high-temperature superconductors . Nature Physics . en . 5 . 11 . 830–833 . 10.1038/nphys1389 . 0904.1230 . 2009NatPh...5..830B . 1745-2481.
  4. Bojesen . Troels Arnfred . Babaev . Egor . Sudbø . Asle . 2013-12-30 . Time reversal symmetry breakdown in normal and superconducting states in frustrated three-band systems . Physical Review B . 88 . 22 . 220511 . 10.1103/PhysRevB.88.220511. 1306.2313 . 2013PhRvB..88v0511B .
  5. Bojesen . Troels Arnfred . Babaev . Egor . Sudbø . Asle . 2014-03-11 . Phase transitions and anomalous normal state in superconductors with broken time-reversal symmetry . Physical Review B . 89 . 10 . 104509 . 10.1103/PhysRevB.89.104509. 1401.5802 . 2014PhRvB..89j4509B .
  6. Grinenko. Vadim. Weston. Daniel. Caglieris. Federico. Wuttke. Christoph. Hess. Christian. Gottschall. Tino. Maccari. Ilaria. Gorbunov. Denis. Zherlitsyn. Sergei. Wosnitza. Jochen. Rydh. Andreas. Kihou . Kunihiro. Lee . Chul-Ho. Sarkar . Rajib. Dengre . Shanu. Garaud . Julien. Charnukha . Aliaksei. Hühne . Ruben. Nielsch . Kornelius. Büchner . Bernd. Klauss . Hans-Henning. Babaev . Egor . Egor Babaev . 2021-10-18. State with spontaneously broken time-reversal symmetry above the superconducting phase transition. Nature Physics. 17. 11. en. 1254–1259. 2103.17190. 2021arXiv210317190G. 10.1038/s41567-021-01350-9. 235732434. 1745-2481.
  7. Agterberg . D. F. . Tsunetsugu . H. . Dislocations and vortices in pair-density-wave superconductors . Nature Physics . August 2008 . 4 . 8 . 639–642 . 10.1038/nphys999.
  8. Herland . Egil V. . Babaev . Egor . Sudbø . Asle . Phase transitions in a three dimensional U (1) × U (1) lattice London superconductor: Metallic superfluid and charge- 4 e superconducting states . Physical Review B . 8 October 2010 . 82 . 13 . 10.1103/PhysRevB.82.134511. 1006.3311 .
  9. Agterberg . D. F. . Geracie . M. . Tsunetsugu . H. . Conventional and charge-six superfluids from melting hexagonal Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov phases in two dimensions . Physical Review B . 26 July 2011 . 84 . 1 . 10.1103/PhysRevB.84.014513. 1106.1685 .
  10. Web site: 2021-11-03. Superconductor reveals new state of matter involving pairs of Cooper pairs. 2021-11-06. Physics World. en-GB.
  11. Charge-4⁢ and Charge-6⁢ Flux Quantization and Higher Charge Superconductivity in Kagome Superconductor Ring Devices . Physical Review X . 89 . 14 . 021025 . 2201.10352 .

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