Holographic superconductor induced by charge density waves

TL;DR

This paper develops a holographic model showing how charge density waves can induce and coexist with superconductivity, revealing their complex interactions and supporting the idea that CDWs facilitate electron pairing in high-temperature superconductors.

Contribution

It introduces a holographic superconductor model where CDWs alone break the U(1) symmetry, demonstrating their role in promoting superconductivity without free charge carriers.

Findings

CDW phase and superconductivity coexist below critical temperature

Optical conductivity confirms phase coexistence

CDWs promote electron pre-pairing, aiding superconductivity

Abstract

Understanding the role of charge density wave (CDW) in high-temperature superconductivity is a longstanding challenge in condensed matter physics. We construct a holographic superconductor model in which the $U(1)$ symmetry is spontaneously broken only due to the presence of CDWs, rather than previously known free charges with constant density. Below the critical temperature of superconductivity, CDW phase and superconducting phase coexist, which is also justified by the numerical results of optical conductivity. The competitive and cooperative relations between CDW phase and superconducting phase are observed. This work supports the opinion that the appearance of pseudo-gap in CDW phase promotes the pre-pairing of electrons as well as holes such that the formation of superconductivity benefits from the presence of CDW.