Unconventional high-temperature superconductivity from repulsive interactions: theoretical constraints

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that purely repulsive electron interactions cannot produce p or d wave Cooper pairing at high temperatures, challenging theories of phonon-independent high-temperature superconductivity.

Contribution

It provides theoretical constraints showing that realistic Coulomb repulsion prevents unconventional p and d wave pairing in high-temperature superconductors.

Findings

Cooper pairing in p and d states is not possible with realistic Coulomb repulsion.

Repulsive interactions alone cannot account for high-temperature superconductivity in these materials.

Theoretical constraints limit the mechanisms for unconventional superconductivity.

Abstract

Unconventional symmetries of the order parameter allowed some researchers to maintain that a purely repulsive interaction between electrons provides superconductivity without phonons in a number of high-temperature superconductors. It is shown that the Cooper pairing in p and d states is not possible with the realistic Coulomb repulsion between fermions at relevant temperatures in any dimension.