Free Differential Algebras: Their Use in Field Theory and Dual Formulation

The gauging of free differential algebras (FDA's) produces gauge field theories containing antisymmetric tensors. The FDA's extend the Cartan-Maurer equations of ordinary Lie algebras by incorporating p-form potentials ($p > 1$). We study here the algebra of FDA transformations. To every p-form in the FDA we associate an extended Lie derivative $\ell$ generating a corresponding ``gauge" transformation. The field theory based on the FDA is invariant under these new transformations. This gives geometrical meaning to the antisymmetric tensors. The algebra of Lie derivatives is shown to close and provides the dual formulation of FDA's.Comment: 10 pages, latex, no figures. Talk presented at the 4-th Colloquium on "Quantum Groups and Integrable Sysytems", Prague, June 199

Non-linear optical effects and third-harmonic generation in superconductors: Cooper-pairs vs Higgs mode contribution

The recent observation of a transmitted Thz pulse oscillating at three times the frequency of the incident light paves the way to a new protocol to access resonant excitations in a superconductor. Here we show that this non-linear optical process is dominated by light-induced excitation of Cooper pairs, in analogy with a standard Raman experiment. The collective amplitude (Higgs) fluctuations of the superconducting order parameter give in general a smaller contribution, unless one designs the experiment by combining properly the light polarization with the lattice symmetry.Comment: Slightly revised introduction, to appear on Phys. Rev. B. as Rapid Communicatio

Spectroscopic and thermodynamic properties in a four-band model for pnictides

In this paper we provide a comprehesive analysis of different properties of pnictides both in the normal and superconducting state, with a particular focus on the optimally-doped Ba$_{1-x}$K$_{x}$Fe$_2$As$_2$ system. We show that, by using the band dispersions experimentally measured by ARPES, a four-band Eliashberg model in the intermediate-coupling regime can account for both the measured hierarchy of the gaps and for several spectroscopic and thermodynamic signatures of low-energy renormalization. These include the kinks in the band dispersion and the effective masses determined via specific-heat and superfluid-density measurements. We also show that, although an intermediate-coupling Eliashberg approach is needed to account for the magnitude of the gaps, the temperature behavior of the thermodynamic quantities does not show in this regime a significant deviation with respect to weak-coupling BCS calculations. This can explain the apparent success of two-band BCS fits of experimental data reported often in the literature.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures, final versio

On the application of Mattis-Bardeen theory in strongly disordered superconductors

The low energy optical conductivity of conventional superconductors is usually well described by Mattis-Bardeen (MB) theory which predicts the onset of absorption above an energy corresponding to twice the superconducing (SC) gap parameter Delta. Recent experiments on strongly disordered superconductors have challenged the application of the MB formulas due to the occurrence of additional spectral weight at low energies below 2Delta. Here we identify three crucial items which have to be included in the analysis of optical-conductivity data for these systems: (a) the correct identification of the optical threshold in the Mattis-Bardeen theory, and its relation with the gap value extracted from the measured density of states, (b) the gauge-invariant evaluation of the current-current response function, needed to account for the optical absorption by SC collective modes, and (c) the inclusion into the MB formula of the energy dependence of the density of states present already above Tc. By computing the optical conductvity in the disordered attractive Hubbard model we analyze the relevance of all these items, and we provide a compelling scheme for the analysis and interpretation of the optical data in real materials.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figure

Quasi-particle dephasing time in disordered d-wave superconductors

We evaluate the low-temperature cutoff for quantum interference 1/tf induced in a d-wave superconductor by the diffusion enhanced quasiparticle interactions in the presence of disorder. We carry out our analysis in the framework of the non-linear sigma-model which allows a direct calculation of 1/tf, as the mass of the transverse modes of the theory. Only the triplet amplitude in the particle-hole channel and the Cooper amplitude with is pairing symmetry contribute to 1/tf. We discuss the possible relevance of our results to the present disagreement between thermal transport data in cuprates and the localization theory for d-wave quasiparticles

Doping dependence of the vortex-core energy in bilayer films of cuprates

The energy needed to create a vortex core is the basic ingredient to address the physics of thermal vortex fluctuations in underdoped cuprates. Here we theoretically investigate its role on the occurrence of the Beresinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition in a bilayer film with inhomogeneity. From the comparison with recent measurements of the penetration depth in two-unit cell thin films of Y$_{1-x}$Ca$_{x}$Ba$_{2}$Cu$_{3}$O_{7-\d} (YBCO) by Hetel et al. [Nat. Phys. 3, 700 (2007)] we can extract the value of the vortex-core energy $\mu$, and show that $\mu$ scales linearly with $T_c$ at low doping.Comment: 4pages, 3 figures. References added, final versio

Theory of fluctuation conductivity from interband pairing in pnictide superconductors

We derive the effective action for superconducting fluctuations in a four-band model for pnictides, discussing the emergence of a single critical mode out of a dominant interband pairing mechanism. We then apply our model to calculate the paraconductivity in two-dimensional and layered three-dimensional systems, and compare our results with recent resistivity measurements in SmFeAsOFComment: 4 pages, 1 figure; final versio

Polarization dependence of the third-harmonic generation in multiband superconductors

In a superconductor the third-harmonic generation (THG) of a strong THz pulse is enhanced below Tc by the resonant excitation of lattice-modulated charge fluctuations (LCF), which modulate the response according to the polarization of the field. Here we compute the THG within a multiband model for the prototype NbN superconductor. We show that the non-resonant contribution coming from the instantaneous electronic response and the finite width of the pulse significantly suppress the polarization dependence of the signal, challenging its observation in real systems.Comment: Final version, as publishe

Coherence length in superconductors from weak to strong coupling

We study the evolution of the superconducting coherence length $\xi_0$ from weak to strong coupling, both within a s-wave and a d-wave lattice model. We show that the identification of $\xi_0$ with the Cooper-pair size $\xi_{pair}$ in the weak-coupling regime is meaningful only for a fully-gapped (e.g., s-wave) superconductor. Instead in the d-wave superconductor, where $\xi_{pair}$ diverges, we show that $\xi_0$ is properly defined as the characteristic length scale for the correlation function of the modulus of the superconducting order parameter. The strong-coupling regime is quite intriguing, since the interplay between particle-particle and particle-hole channel is no more negligible. In the case of s-wave pairing, which allows for an analytical treatment, we show that $\xi_0$ is of order of the lattice spacing at finite densities. In the diluted regime $\xi_0$ diverges, recovering the behavior of the coherence length of a weakly interacting effective bosonic system. Similar results are expected to hold for d-wave superconductors.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures. Two appendices and new references adde

Unconventional Hall effect in pnictides from interband interactions

We calculate the Hall transport in a multiband systems with a dominant interband interaction between carriers having electron and hole character. We show that this situation gives rise to an unconventional scenario, beyond the Boltzmann theory, where the quasiparticle currents dressed by vertex corrections acquire the character of the majority carriers. This leads to a larger (positive or negative) Hall coefficient than what expected on the basis of the carrier balance, with a marked temperature dependence. Our results explain the puzzling measurements in pnictides and they provide a more general framework for transport properties in multiband materials.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure