Possibility of Electron Pairing in Small Metallic Nanoparticles

TL;DR

This paper explores whether electron pairing can occur in small metallic nanoparticles at zero temperature, considering mesoscopic effects on electrons and phonons, and finds pairing correlations in aluminum and zinc but not in potassium nanoparticles.

Contribution

It introduces a simplified model to analyze electron pairing in mesoscopic nanoparticles, accounting for size-modified electrons and phonons, and evaluates the conditions for pairing.

Findings

Electron pairing correlations are present in aluminum and zinc nanoparticles.

Potassium nanoparticles do not exhibit pairing correlations.

Size and material composition influence electron pairing in nanoparticles.

Abstract

We investigate the possibility of electron pairing in small metallic nanoparticles at zero temperature. In these particles both electrons and phonons are mesoscopic, i.e. modified by the nanoparticle's finite size. The electrons, the phonons, and their interaction are described within the framework of a simplified model. The effective electron-electron interaction is derived from the underlying electron-phonon interaction. The effect of both effective interaction and Coulomb interaction on the electronic spectrum is evaluated. Results are presented for aluminum, zinc and potassium nanoparticles containing a few hundred atoms. We find that a large portion of the aluminum and zinc particles exhibit modifications in their electronic spectrum due to pairing correlations, while pairing correlations are not present in the potassium particles.