High-TC superconductivity induced by magnetic interactions

TL;DR

This paper develops a microscopic theory linking magnetic interactions to high-temperature superconductivity, explaining the phase diagram and predicting critical temperatures consistent with experimental data.

Contribution

It introduces a new theoretical framework based on magnetic interactions and electronic states to explain and predict high-TC superconductivity.

Findings

Derived a parabolic relation between T_C and doping concentration.

Calculated T_C values closely matching experimental results.

Predicted higher T_C in slab geometries and for certain materials.

Abstract

In this paper, a microscopic theory of magnetic-interaction-induced pairing in superconductivity of high temperature superconductors (HTSC) was developed on the basis of four idealized assumptions: (1) only a small number of electrons(or holes) are involved in superconductivity, and its density is n{\delta}^2; (2) magnetic interactions between electron spins lead to superconductivity; (3) there are different electronic states, i.e., the on-site doubly-occupied electrons forming anti-ferromagnetic insulator states, the off-site doubly-occupied electrons forming superconducting states, the singly-occupied (spin up or down) electrons forming normal states and the empty states; (4) the average kinetic energy of electrons (or holes) complies with the equipartition theorem of energy. Based on these assumptions, an approximate effective Hamiltonian was suggested. A parabolic relation between T_C and the doping concentration {\delta} was found and thus the phase diagram for HTSC has been explained. It was also found that, T_C is related to the anti-ferromagnetic interaction energy J (or critical magnetic field B_C) and the degrees of freedom of electrons i. The T_C values are thus calculated from this theory to be 92.8K for YBa2Cu3O6.15, 40.3K for La2CuO4, and 58K for SmOFeAs, which are in good agreement with the experimental results of 92K, 40K, and 54K, respectively. It was estimated that, T_C in the slab HTSC is higher than that in the bulk, and T_C for SmOFeAs can be up to 116K.