Frustrated superconductivity and sextetting order

Abstract

The superconducting state typically favors a uniform spatial distribution akin to ferromagnetism. Nevertheless, the pair-density-wave state exhibits sign changes in the pairing order, leading to potential frustrations in phase coherence. We propose a mechanism to the sextetting order stemming from the frustrations in the phase coherence of a pair-density-wave state, whose spatial modulation manifests a vortex-antivortex honeycomb lattice. The classical ground state configurations are mapped to Baxter’s three-coloring model, revealing a macroscopic degeneracy accompanied by extensive entropy. The phase coherence problem intertwines the U(1) phases and the vorticity variables. While the resultant color and phase fluctuations suppress the pair-density-wave order, they maintain the sextetting order above the superconducting transition temperature (T_c). The 1/3-fractional vortex emerges as the fundamental topological defect in the sextetting order. This novel mechanism of frustrated superconductivity provides an alternative explanation for the experimental observed fractional oscillations in CsV₃Sb₅.