Tuning macroscopic phase frustration in multiorbital superconductors

Abstract

Time-reversal symmetry-breaking (TRSB) superconductivity has been reported in a growing number of materials. In some cases, TRSB arises naturally from chiral superconductivity, but in many low-symmetry systems this explanation is not viable. In these latter cases, TRSB is often attributed to phase frustration among multiple superconducting gaps on different Fermi surfaces. Yet, the microscopic conditions enabling such frustration remain poorly understood. Here, inspired by the TRSB reported in the superconducting state of iron-based materials, we demonstrate that a minimal two-orbital model can support a TRSB superconducting state via phase frustration. We identify the key microscopic parameters that stabilize TRSB in d-electron systems with orthorhombic symmetry and provide a framework to systematically enlarge the region of parameter space within which TRSB is expected in materials with other electronic content and crystalline symmetries. Our results offer a simple and experimentally relevant route to understand and control TRSB in multiorbital superconductors.