1306.2313 (Troels Bojesen et al.)

Time reversal symmetry breakdown in normal and superconducting states in
frustrated three-band systems    [PDF]

Troels Bojesen, Egor Babaev, Asle Sudbø

We discuss the phase diagram and phase transitions in $U(1)\times \groupZ{2}$ three-band superconductors with broken time reversal symmetry. We find that beyond mean field approximation and for sufficiently strong frustration of interband interactions there appears an unusual metallic state precursory to a superconducting phase transition. In that state, the system is not superconducting. Nonetheless, it features a spontaneously broken $\groupZ{2}$ time reversal symmetry. By contrast, for weak frustration of interband coupling the energy of a domain wall between different $\groupZ{2}$ states is low and thus fluctuations restore broken time reversal symmetry in the superconducting state at low temperatures.

View original: http://arxiv.org/abs/1306.2313