Pairing state in multicomponent superconductors

Abstract

We use the microscopic weak coupling theory to predict the pairing state in superconductors of cubic, hexagonal, or tetragonal symmetry, where the order parameter is multicomponent, i.e., transforms according to either a 2-dimensional or a 3-dimensional representation of the crystal point group. We show that the superconducting phase usually breaks the time-reversal symmetry for singlet multicomponent superconductors. The superconducting order parameter for triplet superconductors in most cases turns out to be non-magnetic.