Distinguishing nodal and nonunitary superconductivity in quasiparticle interference of an Ising superconductor with Rashba spin-orbit coupling: an example of NbSe$_2$

Abstract

The NbSe$_2$ monolayer with Rashba spin-orbit coupling represents a paradigmatic example of an Ising superconductor on a substrate. Using a single-band model and symmetry analysis, we present general superconducting pairing functions beyond the nearest-neighbor approximation, uncovering new types of gap functions, including the nodal singlet gap function and the triplet non-unitary pairing function that breaks time-reversal symmetry. The non-unitarity builts in the asymmetrical band dispersion in the superconducting quasiparticle energy spectra. Performing exact T-matrix calculations of quasiparticle interference due to a single scalar impurity scattering, we found that the interference patterns possess characteristic features distinguishing the type of pairing and possible nematic and chiral symmetry violations.