English

Universality in Transport Processes of Unconventional Superconductors

Condensed Matter 2009-10-28 v1

Abstract

We show that some of the low temperature transport coefficients (e.g., electrical and thermal conductivities, viscosity and sound attenuation) are {\it universal}, i.e., independent of the impurity concentration and phase shift for specific classes of unconventional superconductors. The existence of a universal limit depends on the symmetry of the order parameter and is achieved at low temperatures kBTγΔ0k_B T \ll \gamma \ll \Delta_0, where γ\gamma is the bandwidth of the impurity induced Andreev bound states. The density of states is finite at zero energy and leads to the re-appearance of the Wiedemann-Franz law deep in the superconducting phase for kBTγk_B T \ll \gamma. Our findings also show that impurity concentration studies at low temperatures can distinguish between different order parameter symmetries.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.cond-mat/9609061,
  title  = {Universality in Transport Processes of Unconventional Superconductors},
  author = {M. J. Graf and S. -K. Yip and J. A. Sauls},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:cond-mat/9609061},
  year   = {2009}
}

Comments

2 pages, including 1 table, 1 postscript figure; presented at LT-21