Properties of odd-gap superconductors

Abstract

We discuss the class of superconductors that have pairing correlations which are odd in frequency, as introduced originally by Berezinskii and more recently by Balatsky and Abrahams. As follows from the equations of motion, a natural definition of the thermodynamic order parameter of the odd-pairing state is the expectation value of a composite operator which couples a Cooper pair to a spin or charge fluctuation. We use a model pairing Hamiltonian to describe properties of the odd-pairing composite-operator condensate. We show that the superfluid stiffness is positive, we discuss superconductive tunneling with an ordinary superconductor, and we derive other thermodynamic and transport properties.