Hole superconductivity in Arsenic-Iron compounds

TL;DR

This paper proposes that hole superconductivity explains high-temperature superconductivity in arsenic-iron compounds, emphasizing the role of hole carriers, two-band conduction, and non-phononic pairing mechanisms, with several testable predictions.

Contribution

It introduces a novel theory that attributes superconductivity in these compounds to hole carriers and non-phononic pairing, contrasting with conventional models.

Findings

Superconductivity may involve hole carriers at the Fermi energy.

Two-band conduction is likely significant in these materials.

Superconductivity is driven by pairing and undressing of heavily dressed hole carriers.

Abstract

Superconductivity above 25K, and possibly above 40K, has recently been discovered in $LaO_{1-x}F_xFeAs$ and related compounds. We propose that this is another example of the mechanism of hole superconductivity at play. This requires the existence of hole carriers at the Fermi energy, which appears to contradict current observations. We propose that two-band conduction is taking place in these materials, that the negative ion $As^{-3}$ plays a key role, and that superconductivity is non-phononic and driven by pairing and undressing of heavily dressed hole carriers to lower their kinetic energy. We make several predictions of future observations based on our theory.