Skip to main content
Unpublished Paper
Spontaneous Breakdown of Time-Reversal Symmetry Induced by Thermal Fluctuations
Physical Review B 91 (2015)
  • Johan Carlström
  • Egor Babaev, University of Massachusetts - Amherst
Abstract
In systems with broken U(1) symmetry, such as superfluids, superconductors or magnets, the symmetry restoration is driven by proliferation of topological defects in the form of vortex loops. Here we discuss that in certain systems the proliferation of topological defects can, by contrast, lead to the breakdown of an additional symmetry. As a particular example we demonstrate that this effect should take place in s + is superconductors, which are widely discussed in connection with the Iron-based materials. In these systems a vortex excitation can create a “bubble" of fluctuating Z2 order parameter. Thermal excitation of vortices then leads to breakdown of Z2 time-reversal symmetry when the temperature is increased.
Disciplines
Publication Date
2015
Comments
This is the pre-published version harvested from arXiv. The published version is located at http://journals.aps.org/prb/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevB.91.140504
Citation Information
Johan Carlström and Egor Babaev. "Spontaneous Breakdown of Time-Reversal Symmetry Induced by Thermal Fluctuations" Physical Review B 91 (2015)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/egor_babaev/41/