Phenomenological Approach to the Possible Existence of a Triplet Superconducting Phase in the Quasi-One-Dimensional Conductor Li$_{0.9}$Mo${_6}$O$_{17}$

Abstract

We consider a theoretical problem of the upper critical magnetic field parallel to a conducting axis of a quasi-one-dimensional layered superconductor. We show that the orbital effects against superconductivity in a magnetic field are capable of destroying the superconducting phase at low temperatures if the interplane distance is less than the corresponding coherence length. Applications of our results to the recent experiments, performed in the superconductor Li$_{0.9}$Mo$_6$O$_{17}$ [J.-F. Mercure et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 108}, 187003 (2012)], provide strong arguments in favor of a triplet superconducting pairing in this quasi-one-dimensional layered conductor.