SRO and Chiral p-wave Superconductivity (Minipgm): A Rapid Response Workshop

Coordinators: Catherine Kallin, Kathryn Moler, Chetan Nayak, Manfred Sigrist

Scientific Advisors: Aharon Kapitulnik, Anthony J. Leggett, Andrew P. Mackenzie, Yoshiteru Maeno

Sr2RuO4 (SRO) has attracted considerable attention since its discovery in 1994 as, at low temperatures, it exhibits novel superconductivity and signatures of time-reversal symmetry breaking. It is thought that this material may be a solid-state analogue of the A-phase of helium-3 and described by a chiral p-wave superconducting order parameter. This would also have exciting implications for topological quantum computing.

New phase-sensitive tunneling measurements and optical measurements appear to give additional evidence for chiral p-wave symmetry, while various discrepancies, as well as a comparison of scanning magnetic microscopy results to theory, are difficult to reconcile with simple chiral p-wave. This workshop will bring researchers together to analyze and discuss these experiments, the theory, and open issues with the goal of generating new ideas and plans for further experiments and calculations which could resolve these and reliably determine the nature of the superconducting order. New results and open issues related to topological quantum computing will also be discussed, particularly as they relate to the possible superconducting order in SRO.

This workshop will primarily be organized around short talks leading into extended discussions, with only a few longer talks reserved for an overview and new, unpublished results. There will be ample time for thorough discussion, including some smaller, focussed group discussions. Strong preference will be given to applicants who can stay the full two weeks, although exceptions can be made for experimentalists.