Anisotropic Diamagnetic Response in Type-II Superconductors with Gap and Fermi-Surface Anisotropies

Abstract

Effects of anisotropic gap structures on a diamagnetic response are investigated in order to demonstrate that the field-angle-resolved magnetization ($M_L(χ)$) measurement can be used as a spectroscopic method to detect gap structures. Our microscopic calculation based on the quasiclassical Eilenberger formalism reveals that $M_L(χ)$ in a superconductor with four-fold gap displays a four-fold oscillation reflecting the gap and Fermi surface anisotropies, and the sign of this oscillation changes at a field between $H_{c1}$ and $H_{c2}$. As a prototype of unconventional superconductors, magnetization data for borocarbides are also discussed.

5 pages, 4 figures