Landau levels in the mixed state of two-dimensional nodal superconductors: models, featured magneto-optical response and quantized thermal Hall effect

Abstract

Landau quantization of low-energy quasiparticles (QPs) in the mixed state of gapless superconductors is a celebrated problem. So far, the only superconducting system that has been shown to host Landau levels (LLs) of Bogoliubov QPs is the Weyl superconductor. Here, we first investigate the QPs in the mixed state of two Weyl superconductors, an intrinsic one and a heterostructure one, and reveal that the QP states in the former do not form LLs, in contrast to those in the latter where LLs of QPs are shown to exist. The key is whether the low-energy Hamiltonian respects a generalized chiral symmetry. Following the analysis, we show that a twodimensional superconducting system -- a topological insulator-superconductor heterostructure respecting the generalized chiral symmetry -- exhibits LLs with Chern number $\pm 1$ in the mixed state. We also show featured responses resulting from the LLs, including peaked magneto-optical conductivity and quantized thermal Hall conductivity, which could be used as experimental probes to detect LLs in superconductors.

7 pages, 5 figures