Fermi surface segmentation in the helical state of a Rashba superconductor

Abstract

We investigate the quasiparticle excitations in the Fulde-Ferrell-type helical state of a superconductor with inversion symmetry breaking and strong Rashba spin-orbit coupling. We restrict to a state with single finite momentum of Cooper pairs in the helical phase that is determined by minimization of the condensation energy. We derive the dependence of quasiparticle dispersions on the Rashba coupling strength and external field. It leads to a peculiar momentum-space segmentation of the corresponding Rashba Fermi surface sheets. We show that it may be directly visualized by the method of quasiparticle interference that identifies the critical points of the segmented sheets and can map their evolution with field strength, bias voltage, and Rashba coupling. We also indicate a strategy for how to determine the finite Cooper-pair momentum from experimental quantities. This investigation has the potential for a more detailed microscopic understanding of the helical superconducting state under the influence of Rashba spin-orbit coupling.