We formulate the problem of unconventional $d-$wave superconductivity, with phase fluctuations, pseudogap phenomenon, and local Cooper pairs, in terms of a synchronization problem in random, quantum dissipative, elasto-nuclear oscillator networks. The nodes of the network correspond to {\it localized, collective quadrupolar vibrations} of nuclei-like, elastic inhomogeneities embedded in a dissipative medium. Electrons interacting with such vibrations form local Cooper pairs, with a superfluid $d-$wave pseudogap $Δ_{PG}$, due to an effective, short range attractive interaction of $d_{x^2-y^2}$ character. Phase coherent, bulk superconductivity, with a $d-$wave gap $Δ$, is stabilized when the oscillator network is asymptotically entangled in a nearly decoherence-free environment. Phase coherence will in turn be destroyed, at $T_c$, when the thermal noise becomes comparable to the coupling between oscillators, the superfluid density $K$. The $2Δ/k_B T_c$ ratio is a function of Kuramoto's order parameter, $r=\sqrt{1-K_c/K}$, for the loss of synchronization at $K_c$, and is much larger than the nonuniversal $2Δ_{PG}/k_B T^*$ ratio, where $T^*$ is the temperature at which $Δ_{PG}$ is completely destroyed by thermal fluctuations. We discuss our findings in connection to the available data for various unconventionally high-temperature superconductors.
Finding of unconventional superconductivity (USC) in FeSe in an electronic "normal" state with broken $C_{4v}$ rotational symmetry testifies to the diversity of pairing states in Fe-based superconductors. Moreover, such USC emerges as a direct instability of a normal state without Landau Fermi liquid quasiparticles, increasingly dubbed a `strange' metal. Here, we combine inputs from a first-principles correlated electronic structure method (LDA+DMFT) and symmetry analyses to propose a novel mechanism for unconventional nodal superconductivity as a direct instability of an incoherent bad-metal …
The formation of electron pairs is a prerequisite of superconductivity. The fermionic nature of electrons yields four classes of superconducting correlations with definite symmetry in spin, space and time. Here, we suggest double quantum dots coupled to conventional s-wave superconductors in the presence of inhomogeneous magnetic fields as a model system exhibiting unconventional pairing. Due to their small number of degrees of freedom, tunable by gate voltages, quantum-dot systems provide an ideal tool to gain fundamental insight in unconventional pairing. We propose two detection schemes for…
Unconventional superconductivity is commonly linked to electronic pairing mechanisms, since it is believed that the conventional electron-phonon interaction (EPI) cannot cause sign-changing superconducting gap symmetries. Here, we show that this common understanding needs to be revised when one considers a more elaborate theory of electron-phonon superconductivity beyond standard approximations. We selfconsistently solve the full-bandwidth, anisotropic Eliashberg equations including vertex corrections beyond Migdal's approximation assuming the usual isotropic EPI for cuprate, Fe-based and heav…
We report a microscopic model wherein the unconventional superconductivity emerges from an incoherent `Cooper-pair glass' state. Driven by the pair-pair interaction, a new type of quasi-Bose phase transition is at work. The interaction leads to the unconventional coupling of the quasiparticles to excited pair states, or `super-quasiparticles', with a non-retarded energy-dependent gap. The model describes quantitatively the quasiparticle excitation spectra of both cuprates and pnictides, including the universal `peak-dip-hump' signatures, and for the pseudogap phase above $T_c$. The results sho…
Conventional superconductivity, as used in this review, refers to electron-phonon coupled superconducting electron-pairs described by BCS theory. Unconventional superconductivity refers to superconductors where the Cooper pairs are not bound together by phonon exchange but instead by exchange of some other kind, e. g. spin fluctuations in a superconductor with magnetic order either coexistent or nearby in the phase diagram. Such unconventional superconductivity has been known experimentally since heavy fermion CeCu2Si2, with its strongly correlated 4f electrons, was discovered to superconduct …
A brief review of unconventional superconductivity is given, stretching from the halcyon days of helium-3 to the modern world of Majorana fermions. Along the way, we will encounter such strange beasts as heavy fermion superconductors, cuprates, and their iron-based cousins. Emphasis will be put on the fact that in almost all cases, an accepted microscopic theory has yet to emerge. This is attributed to the difficulty of constructing a theory of superconductivity outside the Migdal-Eliashberg framework.
We analyze in detail the superconductivity that arises in an extended Hubbard model describing a multiband system with repulsive interactions. We show that virtual interband processes induce an effective attractive interaction for small momentum transfers, a situation not found in most models of superconductivity from repulsion. This attraction can be traced back, in real space, to the presence of correlated hopping terms induced by interband polarization. We reveal this physics with both strong-coupling expansion and many-body perturbation theory, supplemented by numerical calculations. Final…
Evidence for Unconventional Superconductivity in Arsenic-Free Iron-Based Superconductor FeSe : A ^77Se-NMR Study
本文报道了具有与LaFeAsO $_{1-x}$ F $_x$超导体相似的晶体结构的$α$的核磁共振（NMR）结果.核自旋晶格弛豫速率$1/T_1$在超导转变温度$T_c$以下表现出$T^3$行为，没有相干峰。在高于$T_c$的宽温度范围内，可以看到指示费米液态的$T_1T=$恒定行为。$α$ -FeSe的超导电性与LaFeAsO $_{1-x}$ F $_x$及相关材料一样，也是一种非常规的超导电性. FeAs层对非常规超导性的发生不是必需的。
YPtBi, a topological semimetal with very low carrier density, was recently found to be superconducting below $T_\mathrm{c} = 0.77$\,K. In the conventional theory, the nearly vanishing density of states around the Fermi level would imply a vanishing electron-phonon coupling and would therefore not allow for superconductivity. Based on relativistic density functional theory calculations of the electron-phonon coupling in YPtBi it is found that carrier concentrations of more than $10^{21}$\,cm$^{-3}$ are required to explain the observed critical temperature with the conventional pairing mechanism…
Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides entwine interaction, spin-orbit coupling, and topology. Hole-doped systems lack spin degeneracy: states are indexed with spin and valley specificity. This unique structure offers new possibilities for correlated phases and phenomena. We realize an unconventional superconducting pairing phase which is an equal mixture of a spin singlet and the $m = 0$ spin triplet. It is stable against large in-plane magnetic fields, and its topology allows quasiparticle excitations of net nonzero Berry curvature via pair-breaking circularly polarized light.
We study electron correlation driven superconductivity on a decorated honeycomb lattice (DHL), which has a low-energy flat band. On doping, we find singlet superconductivity with extended-s, extended-d and f-wave symmetry mediated by magnetic exchange. f-wave singlet pairing is enabled by the lattice decoration. The critical temperature is predicted to be significantly higher than on similar lattices lacking flat bands. We discuss how high-temperature superconductivity could be realized in the DHL materials such as Rb3TT. 2 H2O and Mo3S7(dmit)3.
Superconductivity in noncentrosymmetric LaNiC$_2$ is expected to be induced by electron--phonon interactions due to its lack of magnetic instabilities. The non-Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) behaviors found in this material call into question the long-standing idea that relates unconventional superconductivity with magnetic interactions. Here we report magnetic penetration-depth measurements in a high-purity single crystal of LaNiC$_2$ at pressures up to 2.5 GPa and temperatures down to 0.04 K. At ambient pressure and below 0.5$T_c$ the penetration depth goes as $T^4$ for the in-plane and $T^…
The charge frustration with the mixed-valence state inherent to LiTi$_2$O$_4$, which is found to be a unique spinel oxide superconductor, is the impetus for paying special attention to reveal the existence of intriguing superconducting properties. Here, we report a pronounced fourfold rotational symmetry of the superconductivity in high-quality single-crystalline LiTi$_2$O$_4$ (001) thin films. Both the magnetoresistivity and upper critical field under an applied magnetic field manifest striking fourfold oscillations deep inside the superconducting state, whereas the anisotropy vanishes in the…
There is intense controversy around the unconventional superconductivity in strontium ruthenate, where the various theoretical and experimental studies suggest diverse and mutually exclusive pairing symmetries. Currently, the investigation is solely focused on only one material, Sr2RuO4, and the field suffers from the lack of comparison targets. Here, employing a density functional theory based analysis, we show that the heterostructure composed of SrRuO3 and SrTiO3 is endowed with all the key characteristics of Sr2RuO4, and, in principle, can host superconductivity. Furthermore, we show that …
In quantum materials, electrons that have strong correlations tend to localize, leading to quantum spins as the building blocks for low-energy physics. When strongly correlated electrons coexist with more weakly-correlated conduction electrons, multiple channels of effective interactions develop and compete with each other. The competition creates quantum fluctuations having a large spectral weight, with the associated entropies reaching significant fractions of $R\ln 2$ per electron. Advancing a framework to understand how the fluctuating local moments influence unconventional superconductivi…
A monolayer of jacutingaite (Pt$_2$HgSe$_3$) has recently been identified as a novel quantum spin Hall insulator. By first-principles calculations, we study its Fermiology in the doped regime and unveil a type-I and type-II van Hove singularity for hole and electron doping, respectively. We find that the common link between the propensity for a topological band gap at pristine filling and unconventional superconductivity at finite doping roots in the longer ranged hybridization integrals on the honeycomb lattice. In a combined effort of random phase approximation and functional renormalization…
Recent experiments have tuned the monolayer 1T'-WTe2 to be superconducting by electrostatic gating. Here, we theoretically study the phonon-mediated superconductivity in monolayer 1T'-WTe2 via charge doping. We reveal that the emergence of soft-mode phonons with specific momentum is crucial to give rise to the superconductivity in electron-doping regime, whereas no such soft-mode phonons and no superconductivity emerge in hole-doping regime. We also find a superconducting dome, which can be attributed to the change of Fermi surface nesting condition as electron doping. By taking into account t…
A microscopic calculation and symmetry argument reveal superconductivity in the vicinity of parity-violating magnetic order. An augmented cluster magnetic multipole order in a crystal lacking local space inversion parity may break global inversion symmetry, and then, it is classified into an odd-parity multipole order. We investigate unconventional superconductivity induced by an odd-parity magnetic multipole fluctuation in a two-dimensional two-sublattice Hubbard model motivated by Sr$_2$IrO$_4$. We find that even-parity superconductivity is more significantly suppressed by a spin-orbit coupl…
In a short review-article we first discuss the results, which are mainly devoted to the generalizations of the famous Kohn-Luttinger mechanism of superconductivity in purely repulsive fermion systems at low electron densities. In the context of repulsive-U Hubbard model and Shubin-Vonsovsky model we consider briefly the superconducting phase diagrams and the symmetries of the order parameter in novel strongly correlated electron systems including idealized monolayer and bilayer graphene. We stress that purely repulsive fermion systems are mainly the subject of unconventional low-temperature su…
We have performed angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy on a heterostructure consisting of topological insulator Bi2Te3 and iron chalcogenide FeTe fabricated on SrTiO3 substrate by molecular-beam-epitaxy technique. This system was recently found to show superconductivity albeit non-superconducting nature of each constituent material. Upon interfacing FeTe with two quintuple layers of Bi2Te3, we found that the Dirac-cone surface state of Bi2Te3 is shifted toward higher binding energy, while the holelike band at the Fermi level originating from FeTe moves toward lower binding energy. This su…
We present a novel route for attaining unconventional superconductivity (SC) in a strongly correlated system without doping. In a simple model of a correlated band insulator (BI) at half-filling we demonstrate, based on a generalization of the projected wavefunctions method, that SC emerges when e-e interactions and the bare band-gap are both much larger than the kinetic energy, provided the system has sufficient frustration against the magnetic order. As the interactions are tuned, SC appears sandwiched between the correlated BI followed by a paramagnetic metal on one side, and a ferrimagneti…
Unconventional Superconductivity in UPd_2Al_3 from Realistic Selfconsistent Calculations
报道了重费米子材料中非常规超导性的现实自洽计算。我们对UPd $_2$ Al $_3$的计算从精确的能带色散开始，这些能带色散是在局域自旋密度泛函理论内计算的，并提供了与实验一致的费米面。使用物理动机，现实的配对电位，它示出的超导能隙有两行的节点围绕z轴，从而表现出d波对称的$A_{1g}$表示的$D_{6h}$点群。我们的结果表明，在超导体与间隙节点，占主导地位的间隙对称性是由约束，节点必须尽可能远离高密度区域。
Using a new horizontal flux growth technique to produce high quality crystals of the unconventional superconductor YFe$_2$Ge$_2$ has led to a seven-fold reduction in disorder scattering, resulting in mm-sized crystals with residual resistivities $\simeq \SI{0.45}{\micro\ohm\centi\meter}$, resistivity ratios $\simeq 430$ and sharp superconducting heat capacity anomalies. This enables searching multi-probe experiments investigating the normal and superconducting states of YFe$_2$Ge$_2$. Low temperature heat capacity measurements suggest a significant residual Sommerfeld coefficient, consistent w…
We briefly overview the importance of Hubbard and Anderson-lattice models as applied to explanation of high-temperature and heavy-fermion superconductivity. Application of the models during the last two decades provided an explanation of the paired states in correlated fermion systems and thus extended essentially their earlier usage to the description of itinerant magnetism, fluctuating valence, and the metal-insulator transition. In second part, we also present some of the new results concerning the unconventional superconductivity and obtained very recently in our group. A comparison with e…
Motivated by recent observations of chiral-induced magnetization and spin-selective transport we studied the effect of chiral molecules on conventional BCS superconductors. By applying scanning tunneling spectroscopy, we demonstrate that the singlet-pairing s-wave order parameter of Nb is significantly altered upon adsorption of chiral polyalanine alpha-helix molecules on its surface. The tunneling spectra exhibit zero-bias conductance peaks embedded inside gaps or gap-like features, suggesting the emergence of unconventional triplet-pairing components with either d-wave or p-wave symmetry, as…
