Possible phase-sensitive tests of pairing symmetry in pnictide superconductors

Abstract

The discovery of the new class of pnictide superconductors has engendered a controversy about their pairing symmetry, with proposals ranging from an extended s-wave or "s${}_{\pm }$" symmetry to nodal or nodeless d-wave symmetry to still more exotic order parameters such as p-wave. In this paper, building on the earlier, similar work performed for the cuprates, we propose several phase-sensitive Josephson interferometry experiments, each of which may allow resolution of the issue.

4 pages, 4 figures, more in-depth discussion of first proposal added, figure 1 revised, table added