{"id":3937,"date":"2017-07-19T13:09:02","date_gmt":"2017-07-19T20:09:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/physikon.net\/?page_id=3937"},"modified":"2023-04-20T10:46:46","modified_gmt":"2023-04-20T17:46:46","slug":"the-high-tc-superconductive-pairing-mechanism","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/physikon.net\/?page_id=3937","title":{"rendered":"Superconductive pairing mechanism"},"content":{"rendered":"<hr>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/physikon.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/Interaction_scheme1-1024x427.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5333\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n<hr>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Pairing in high-T<sub>C<\/sub> superconductors is mediated by Compton scattering of virtual photons between two charge reservoirs; type I and type II [1]. Typically, the type I reservoir hosts the primary superconducting condensate while the type II reservoir provides mediating charges. &nbsp;However, in the case of H<sub>3<\/sub>S, for example, the two reservoirs are identical and perform both roles. As presented elsewhere, the optimal transition temperature for high-T<sub>C<\/sub> superconductors obey the algebraic equation,<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">T<sub>C0<\/sub> = \u03b2 (\u03c3\u03b7\/<em>A<\/em>)<sup>\u20131\/2<\/sup> \u03b6<sup>\u20131<\/sup> = <em>k<\/em><sub>B<\/sub><sup>\u20131<\/sup> (\u039b\/\u2113) <em>e<\/em><sup>2<\/sup>\/\u03b6 ,<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">where \u03b2 (= 1247.4 K-\u00c5<sup>2<\/sup>) and \u039b (= 0.007465 \u00c5) are universal constants, the latter approximating twice the reduced Compton wavelength, \u2113<sup>-1<\/sup> = [\u03c3\u03b7\/<em>A<\/em>]<sup>\u20131\/2<\/sup> is the interaction charge density, \u03c3 is the charge fraction of one of the type I layers, \u03b7 is the number of charge-carrying type II layers, and <em>A<\/em> is the area per formula unit of the type I reservoir layer or surface.  Part of the above equation, the Coulomb potential <em>e<\/em><sup>2<\/sup>\/\u03b6 factor, was previously derived (see section 3 of [2]) by drawing an analogy with Allen-Dynes theory [3], which considers BCS superconductivity in the strong-coupling limit, obtaining T<sub>C<\/sub> \u221d (\u3008\u03c9<sup>2<\/sup>\u3009\u03bb)<sup>1\/2<\/sup>, where \u03c9<sup>2<\/sup>\u3009is the average square phonon frequency and \u03bb the electron-phonon coupling parameter, with Coulomb repulsion being ignored [4]. This derivation evaluates\u3008\u03c9<sup>2<\/sup>\u3009\u03bb by an integral over the Fermi surface of the square of electron-ion interaction forces.&nbsp; Evaluated in real space and determined by the inter-reservoir electronic Coulomb interaction (assumed to be unscreened within the unit cell [5]), the force is given as <em>F<\/em>(<em>r<\/em>) = \u00b1<em>e<\/em><sup>2<\/sup><em>r<\/em>&nbsp;(<em>r<\/em><sup>2<\/sup> + \u03b6<sup>2<\/sup>)<sup>\u20133\/2<\/sup>, which is constrained to the in-plane or longitudinal component for electronic charges in surfaces separated by a transverse distance \u03b6 and projected in-plane radial distance <em>r<\/em>.&nbsp; Integrating 2\u03c0<em>r<\/em><em>F<\/em><sup>2<\/sup>(<em>r<\/em>) over <em>r<\/em> from 0 to \u221e&nbsp;and taking the square-root yields (\u03c0\/2)<sup>1\/2<\/sup><em>e<\/em><sup>2<\/sup>\/\u03b6, whence the factor <em>e<\/em><sup>2<\/sup>\/\u03b6 in T<sub>C0<\/sub> is obtained.&nbsp; In practice, this interaction is local, corresponding to a limited range of integration, <em>r<\/em> \u2264 \u03b6; this results in the same potential factor, but with a smaller numerical coefficient.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The origin of the factor \u039b\/\u2113 in equation (1) may be understood by considering the Compton scattering probability. &nbsp;Owing to thermal smearing of both the Fermi surface and superconducting gap, one expects ample phase space for quasiparticle creation by Compton scattering events.&nbsp; The essentially instantaneous nature of quasiparticle creation, compared to the significantly slower relaxation process, allows for unscreened Coulomb interactions between electronic charges in adjacent reservoirs.&nbsp; Equation (1) thus derives fundamentally from quantum fluctuations within the virtual photon field between the two charge reservoirs inducing Compton scattering of quasiparticles confined essentially within their respective reservoirs.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Scattering of a quasiparticle from an initial equilibrium state <strong><em>k<\/em><\/strong> on the Fermi surface to a final state <strong><em>k&#8217;<\/em><\/strong> via a Compton scattered virtual photon precipitates a corresponding shift from <strong><em>q<\/em><\/strong> to <strong><em>q&#8217;<\/em><\/strong>&nbsp;in the photon wavevector. &nbsp;The final state wavevector<em> <strong>k&#8217;<\/strong><\/em>&nbsp;is expected to contain a small transverse component, such that <strong><em>k<\/em><\/strong> and <strong><em>k&#8217;<\/em><\/strong>&nbsp;remain essentially transverse to the direction of the separation distance \u03b6.&nbsp; Such electron-photon scattering events can be likened to the problem of electron-impurity scattering, where transport electrons confined to near the Fermi surface with Fermi wavevector <em>k<\/em><sub>F<\/sub> are scattered by real space localized potentials with a mean free path spacing of \u2113<sub>mfp<\/sub>; the probability for a single such scattering event scales as (<em>k<\/em><sub>F<\/sub>\u2113<sub>mfp<\/sub>)<sup>\u20131<\/sup>.&nbsp; In the Compton scattering picture, virtual photons of wave vector <strong><em>q<\/em><\/strong> confined within the real space region between the two interacting reservoirs defined by \u03b6 act in analogy to transport electrons and scatter off of the essentially localized electrons\/holes of spacing \u2113 (acting in analogy to impurities).&nbsp; The analogy entails a tenable difference between electron and photon time scales, given Fermi velocity <em>v<\/em><sub>F<\/sub> &lt;&lt; <em>c<\/em>.&nbsp; Thus, the probability of scattering a virtual photon from initial state <strong><em>q<\/em><\/strong> to final state <strong><em>q&#8217;<\/em><\/strong>&nbsp;is given by the differential (<em>q&#8217;<\/em>\u2113)<sup>\u20131<\/sup> \u2013 (<em>q<\/em>\u2113)<sup>\u20131<\/sup> = \u0394\u019b\u2113<sup>\u20131<\/sup> = \u019b<sub>C<\/sub>(1 \u2013 cos \u03b8)\u2113<sup>\u20131<\/sup>, where \u019b<sub>C<\/sub> = <em>\u045b<\/em>\/<em>m<\/em><sub>e<\/sub><em>c<\/em> is the reduced Compton wavelength and \u03b8 is the angle between the incident and scattered photons (note that setting \u03b8 = \u03c0 yields \u0394\u019b = 2\u019b<sub>C<\/sub>).&nbsp; The momentum perturbation associated with electron recoil is very small, since |<strong><em>q<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 <strong><em>q&#8217;<\/em><\/strong>| &lt;&lt; k<sub>F<\/sub> for virtual photons of energy <em>e<\/em><sup>2<\/sup>\/\u03b6. Identifying \u039b as proportional to \u019b<sub>C<\/sub> and integrating over the relevant angles of the incident and scattered photons one obtains,<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">T<span style=\"line-height: 1; height: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; position: relative; font-size: 10px; top: 0.5ex;\">C0<\/span>&nbsp;<span style=\"font-size: 24pt;\">\u221d<\/span> (\u019b<span style=\"line-height: 1; height: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; position: relative; font-size: 10px; top: 0.5ex;\">C<\/span>\/\u2113)&nbsp;<em>e<\/em><span style=\"line-height: 1; height: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; position: relative; font-size: 10px; bottom: 1ex;\">2<\/span>\/\u03b6<\/span> ,<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">a result which can be (holistically) interpreted as the product of the scattering probability and the energy of the scattering interaction. Thus, the mediation of the high-<em>T<\/em><sub>C<\/sub> superconducting state is facilitated through Compton scattering between virtual photons and unscreened quasiparticles.<\/p>\n<ol style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li>D. R. Harshman and A. T. Fiory,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1088\/1361-648X\/aa80d0\">J. of Phys.: Condens. Matter <b>29<\/b>, 445702 (2017)<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>D. R. Harshman, A. T. Fiory and J. D. Dow,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1088\/0953-8984\/23\/29\/295701\">J. Phys.: Condens. Matter&nbsp;<b>23<\/b>, 295701 (2011)<\/a>;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1088\/0953-8984\/23\/34\/349501\"><b>23<\/b>, 349501 (2011)<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>P. B. Allen and R. C. Dynes,&nbsp;Phys. Rev. B <b>12<\/b>, 905 1975.<\/li>\n<li>See Eq. (25) in [2]<\/li>\n<li>C. M. Varma, S. Schmitt-Rink, and E. Abrahams, Solid State Commun. <b>62<\/b>, 681 (1987)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<hr>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/physikon.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/Interaction_scheme1-1024x427.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5333\"\/> <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Pairing in high-TC superconductors is mediated by Compton scattering of virtual photons between two charge reservoirs; type I and type II [1]. Typically, the type I reservoir hosts the primary superconducting condensate while the type II reservoir provides mediating charges. &nbsp;However, in the  \u2026 <a href=\"http:\/\/physikon.net\/?page_id=3937\"> Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr; <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3937","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/physikon.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3937","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/physikon.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/physikon.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/physikon.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/physikon.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3937"}],"version-history":[{"count":57,"href":"http:\/\/physikon.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3937\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8014,"href":"http:\/\/physikon.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3937\/revisions\/8014"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/physikon.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3937"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}