Physical Review Letters · 2015 · 141 citations · 20 references
Natural SciencesPhysicsCondensed Matter PhysicsSolid State PhysicsTopologyExchange InteractionsSpin-orbit CouplingSuperconducting MaterialsSymmetry BreakingTopological MaterialsTopological Phases Of MatterCooper PairingElectron PairingInversion SymmetrySpin-orbit Coupling EffectsUnconventional Superconductivity
We study superconductivity in spin-orbit-coupled systems in the vicinity of inversion symmetry breaking. We find that, because of the presence of spin-orbit coupling, fluctuations of the incipient parity-breaking order generate an attractive pairing interaction in an odd-parity pairing channel, which competes with the s-wave pairing. We show that Coulomb repulsion or an external Zeeman field suppresses the s-wave pairing and promotes the odd-parity superconducting state. Our work provides a new mechanism for odd-parity pairing and opens a route to novel topological superconductivity.
20
Topological insulators with inversion symmetry
Liang Fu, C. L. Kane · Physical Review B · 2007 · 4.2K citations · Full text