No Arabic abstract
We perform single- and multi-band Migdal-Eliashberg (ME) calculations with parameters exctracted from density functional theory (DFT) simulations to study superconductivity in the electric-field-induced 2-dimensional hole gas at the hydrogenated (111) diamond surface. We show that according to the Eliashberg theory it is possible to induce a high-T$_{text{c}}$ superconducting phase when the system is field-effect doped to a surface hole concentration of $6times10^{14},$cm$^{-2}$, where the Fermi level crosses three valence bands. Starting from the band-resolved electron-phonon spectral functions $alpha^2F_{jj}(omega)$ computed ab initio, we iteratively solve the self-consistent isotropic Migdal-Eliashberg equations, in both the single-band and the multi-band formulations, in the approximation of a constant density of states at the Fermi level. In the single-band formulation, we find T$_{text{c}}approx40,$K, which is enhanced between $4%$ and $8%$ when the multi-band nature of the system is taken into account. We also compute the multi-band-sensistive quasiparticle density of states to act as a guideline for future experimental works.
We investigate the possible occurrence of field-effect induced superconductivity in the hydrogenated $(111)$ diamond surface by first-principles calculations. By computing the band alignment between bulk diamond and the hydrogenated surface we show that the electric field exfoliates the sample, separating the electronic states at the valence band top from the bulk projected ones. At the hole doping values considered here, ranging from $n=2.84times10^{13}$cm$^{-2}$ to $n=6times 10^{14} $ cm$^{-2}$, the valence band top is composed of up to three electronic bands hosting holes with different effective masses. These bands resemble those of the undoped surface, but they are heavily modified by the electric field and differ substantially from a rigid doping picture. We calculate superconducting properties by including the effects of charging of the slab and of the electric field on the structural properties, electronic structure, phonon dispersion and electron-phonon coupling. We find that at doping as large as $n=6times 10^{14} $ cm$^{-2}$, the electron-phonon interaction is $lambda=0.81$ and superconductivity emerges with $T_{text{C}}approx 29-36$K. Superconductivity is mostly supported by in-plane diamond phonon vibrations and to a lesser extent by some out-of-plane vibrations. The relevant electron-phonon scattering processes involve both intra and interband scattering so that superconductivity is multiband in nature.
We fabricate van der Waals heterostructure devices using few unit cell thick Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CaCu$_2$O$_{8+delta}$ for magnetotransport measurements. The superconducting transition temperature and carrier density in atomically thin samples can be maintained to close to that of the bulk samples. As in the bulk sample, the sign of the Hall conductivity is found to be opposite to the normal state near the transition temperature but with a drastic enlargement of the region of Hall sign reversal in the temperature-magnetic field phase diagram as the thickness of samples decreases. Quantitative analysis of the Hall sign reversal based on the excess charge density in the vortex core and superconducting fluctuations suggests a renormalized superconducting gap in atomically thin samples at the 2-dimensional limit.
In the last two decades there have been tremendous attempts to built an adequate theory of high-temperature superconductivity. Most studies (including our efforts) used some model Hamiltonians with input parameters not directly related to the material. The dielectric response function of electrons in strongly correlated high-temperature superconductors is apriori unknown. Hence one has to start with the generic Hamiltonian including unscreened Coulomb and Froehlich electron-phonon interactions operating on the same scale since any ad-hoc assumption on their range and relative magnitude might fail. Using such a generic Hamiltonian I have built the analytical theory of high-temperature superconductivity in doped polar insulators predicting the critical temperature in excess of a hundred Kelvin without any adjustable parameters. The many-particle electron system is described by an analytically solvable polaronic t-Jp Hamiltonian with reduced hopping integral, t, allowed double on-site occupancy, large phonon-induced antiferromagnetic exchange, Jp >> t, and a high-temperature superconducting state of small superlight bipolarons protected from clustering.
We show the possibility of inducing a superconductive phase transition in tetrahedrally coordinated semiconductors via field-effect (FET) doping by taking as an example the hydrogenated (111) silicon surface. We perform density functional theory computations of the electronic and vibrational properties of the system in the proper FET geometry, by taking into account the applied electric field and the induced charge density. Using a simplified superconductive model at $q=Gamma$ and the McMillan/Allen-Dynes formula, we get an estimate of the superconductive critical temperature. We observe that, by heavily doping with holes at $n_{dop}=6cdot10^{14}$ cm$^{-2}$, we get an electron-phonon coupling constant of $lambda_{Si}=0.98$ and a superconductive phase transition at $T_{text{c}}in[8.94;10.91]$ K, with $mu^*in[0.08;0.12]$.
A phase slip is a localized disturbance in the coherence of a superconductor allowing an abrupt 2$pi$ phase shift. Phase slips are a ubiquitous feature of one-dimensional superconductors and also have an analogue in two-dimensions. Here we present electrical transport measurements on boron-doped nanocrystalline diamond (BNCD) microbridges where, despite their three-dimensional macroscopic geometry, we find clear evidence of phase slippage in both the resistance-temperature and voltage-current characteristics. We attribute this behavior to the unusual microstructure of BNCD. We argue that the columnar crystal structure of BNCD forms an intrinsic Josephson junction array that supports a line of phase slippage across the microbridge. The voltage-state in these bridges is metastable and we demonstrate the ability to switch deterministically between different superconducting states by applying electromagnetic noise pulses. This metastability is remarkably similar to that observed in $delta$-MoN nanowires, but with a vastly greater response voltage.