Quantum-geometry-induced anapole superconductivity
Taisei Kitamura,1, ∗Shota Kanasugi,1Michiya Chazono,1and Youichi Yanase1
1Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
(Dated: March 24, 2023)
Anapole superconductivity recently proposed for multiband superconductors [Commun. Phys. 5, 39 (2022)]
is a key feature of time-reversal (T)-symmetry-broken polar superconductors. The anapole moment was shown
to arise from the asymmetric Bogoliubov spectrum, which induces a finite center of mass momenta of Cooper
pairs at the zero magnetic field. In this paper, we show an alternative mechanism of anapole superconductiv-
ity: the quantum geometry induces the anapole moment when the interband pairing and Berry connection are
finite. Thus, the anapole superconductivity is a ubiquitous feature of T-broken multiband polar superconduc-
tors. Applying the theory to a minimal model of UTe2, we demonstrate the quantum-geometry-induced anapole
superconductivity. Furthermore, we show the Bogoliubov Fermi surfaces (BFS) in an anapole superconducting
state and predict an unusual temperature dependence of BFS due to the quantum geometry. Experimental verifi-
cation of these phenomena may clarify the superconducting state in UTe2and reveal the ubiquitous importance
of quantum geometry in exotic superconductors.
I. INTRODUCTION
Parity-mixed superconductors, in which even- and odd-
parity pairings coexist, are attracting much attention, as the
parity-mixing phenomena are closely related to the space in-
version (P)-symmetry breaking. Stimulated by the discovery
of noncentrosymmetric superconductivity in heavy fermions
and artificial heterostructures, time-reversal (T)-symmetric
parity-mixed pairing states such as the s+p-wave state have
been investigated intensively1,2. For a long time, studies fo-
cused on the crystals lacking the P-symmetry allowing an an-
tisymmetric spin-orbit coupling (ASOC). Consequently, the
Rashba superconductor and the Ising superconductor have be-
come fundamental concepts in condensed matter physics1,2.
On the other hand, centrosymmetric crystals were recently
shown to be an intriguing platform of spontaneously P-
symmetry breaking superconductivity3–5. In the absence of
the ASOC, additional T-symmetry breaking is expected3–5
as the ±π/2 phase difference between even- and odd-parity
pairing potentials, such as the s+ip-wave pairing state, is
energetically favored. As a result, both of the P- and T-
symmetry are broken while the combined PT -symmetry is
preserved. The three-dimensional s+ip-wave pairing state
in single-band superconductors was theoretically studied as a
superconducting analog6–8of axion insulators9,10. Such a par-
ing state in Sr2RuO4was theoretically proposed11. Further-
more, recently discovered candidate for spin-triplet supercon-
ductor UTe212,13 is predicted to realize the s+ip-wave pairing
state14, as it is consistent with the experimentally observed
multiple superconducting phases15–21 and multiple magnetic
fluctuations22–27.
Clarification of the PT -symmetric parity-mixed supercon-
ductivity has been awaited to uncover an exotic state of matter.
However, properties of the PT -symmetric parity-mixed su-
perconductivity are almost unresolved. In particular, theoret-
ical studies of multiband superconductors have not been car-
ried out except for Ref. 28, although it is known that intriguing
superconducting phenomena such as the intrinsic polar Kerr
effect29–31 and Bogoliubov Fermi surfaces (BFS)32,33 may ap-
pear from multiband properties. In Ref. 28, the anapole su-
perconductivity was discussed as an exotic feature of the PT -
symmetric parity-mixed pairing state in multiband supercon-
ductors. If some conditions are satisfied, an asymmetric Bo-
goliubov spectrum (BS) arises from the interband pairing28.
When the symmetry of superconductivity has a polar property,
such as in the Ag+iB3u pairing state proposed for UTe214, the
asymmetric BS induces an effective anapole moment, which
is defined as the first-order coefficient of the free energy in
terms of the center of mass momenta of Cooper pairs. The
anapole moment characterizes the anapole superconductivity
as it does the anapole order in magnetic materials34–38 and nu-
cleus39.
The anapole moment is a polar and T-odd vector34, which
shares the symmetry as the velocity and momentum. There-
fore, it is not surprising that the effective anapole moment
induces a finite center of mass momenta of Cooper pairs
qeven in the absence of the magnetic field. The mecha-
nism of finite-qpairing is different from the Fulde-Ferrell-
Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO) superconductivity40,41 and heli-
cal superconductivity1,2, which require a finite magnetic field.
In contrast to the FFLO and helical superconductivity, the
anapole superconductivity can be studied with avoiding ex-
perimental difficulties due to vortices induced by an external
magnetic field. For instance, the anapole domain switching28,
superconducting piezoelectric effect42,43, and Josephson ef-
fect44,45 may uncover intrinsic properties of anapole supercon-
ductivity. Therefore, the anapole superconductivity may be
the key to elucidating the PT -symmetric parity-mixed pair-
ing state, and it may realize and clarify the finite-qpairing
state which has been searched for a long time1,2,46.
In this paper, we show that the anapole superconductiv-
ity is a ubiquitous feature more than revealed in the previ-
ous paper28, considering the quantum geometry extensively
studied in various fields37,38,47–58. Recently, an essential role
of the quantum geometry in the superfluid weight, namely,
the second-order derivative of the free energy, has been re-
vealed59–62. Thus, it is naturally expected that the quantum
geometry may be essential for the anapole superconductivity.
First, we provide a thorough formulation of the anapole mo-
ment based on the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) mean-
field theory. The obtained formula contains two terms; one is
arXiv:2210.01399v2 [cond-mat.supr-con] 23 Mar 2023