Date of Award
8-2016
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Legacy Department
Physics
Committee Member
Dr. Sumanta Tewari, Committee Chair
Committee Member
Dr. Catalina Marinescu
Committee Member
Dr. Murray Daw
Committee Member
Dr. Chad Sosolik
Abstract
The eponymous Dirac equation originated in 1928 as a classic attempt to provide the com-plete theory of a relativistic quantum electron. Weyl, Majorana and Dirac fermions, which are relevant in particle physics have also recently also sprung up in condensed matter physics. It has been realized that some condensed matter systems can host novel fermionic quasiparticle excitations in direct analogy to Weyl, Majorana and Dirac fermions. More interestingly when the band struc-ture topology of some of these systems becomes non-trivial, they can be classified as topological condensed matter systems. In this thesis we will discuss non-trivial topological features of metals and superconductors, and their manifestation as anomalous responses which can be tested in ex-periments. Some peculiar response properties of these systems which will be the focus of this thesis are optical activity, thermoelectric Nernst effect, polar Kerr effect, and differential tunneling con-ductance. We also propose Ising superconductors as a potential platform for realizing topological superconductivity which can host Majorana fermion excitations in the Yu-Shiba-Rusinov band.
Recommended Citation
Sharma, Girish, "Topological Phenomena in Metals and Superconductors" (2016). All Dissertations. 1701.
https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_dissertations/1701