Multiplicity, Parity and Angular Momentum of a Cooper Pair in Unconventional Superconductors of D4h Symmetry: Sr2RuO4 and Fe-Pnictide Materials

Sr2RuO4 and Fe-pnictide superconductors belong to the same point group symmetry D4h. Many experimental data confirm odd pairs in Sr2RuO4 and even pairs in Fe-pnictides, but opposite conclusions also exist. Recent NMR results of Pustogow et al., which revealed even Cooper pairs in Sr2RuO4, require reconsideration of symmetry treatment of its SOP (superconducting order parameter). In the present work making use of the Mackey-Bradley theorem on symmetrized squares, a group theoretical investigation of possible pairing states in D4h symmetry is performed. It is obtained for I4/mmm , i.e., space group of Sr2RuO4, that triplet pairs with even spatial parts are possible in kz direction and in points M and Y. For the two latter cases pairing of equivalent electrons with nonzero total momentum is proposed. In P4/nmm space group of Fe- pnictides in point M, even and odd pairs are possible for singlet and triplet cases. It it shown that even and odd chiral states with angular momentum projection m=+/- 1 have nodes in vertical planes, but Eg is nodal , whereas Eu is nodeless in the basal plane. It is also shown that the widely accepted assertion that the parity of angular momentum value is directly connected with the spatial parity of a pair is not valid in a space-group approach to the wavefunction of a Cooper pair.

Automated summary

Experimental data on Sr2RuO4 and Fe-pnictide superconductors show potential presence of odd and even Cooper pairs, suggesting the need for further investigation on their superconducting properties.