Enhanced superconductivity in FeSe/SrTiO$_3$ from the combination of forward scattering phonons and spin fluctuations

TL;DR

This paper investigates how combining spin fluctuations and forward scattering electron-phonon interactions can enhance superconductivity in FeSe/SrTiO$_3$, using a self-consistent theoretical model that explains observed high transition temperatures.

Contribution

It introduces a fully self-consistent FLEX plus Migdal-Eliashberg approach to study combined interactions in FeSe/SrTiO$_3$, revealing their joint impact on superconductivity.

Findings

Combined interactions can either enhance or suppress $T_c$ depending on their relative strength.

A suitable parameter set yields a $T_c$ of approximately 46.8 K, matching experimental observations.

Forward-focused electron-phonon interactions further increase the superconducting transition temperature.

Abstract

We study the effect of combining spin fluctuations and forward scattering electron-phonon ({\eph}) coupling on the superconductivity in the FeSe/SrTiO$_3$ system modeled by a phenomenological two-band Hubbard model with long-range {\eph} interactions. We treat the electron and phonon degrees of freedom on an equal footing using a \emph{fully} self-consistent FLEX plus Migdal-Eliashberg calculation, which includes a self-consistent determination of the spin fluctuation spectrum. Based on FeSe monolayers, we focus on the case where one of the bands lies below the Fermi level (i.e. incipient), and demonstrate that the combined interactions can enhance or suppress $T_c$, depending on their relative strength. For a suitable choice of parameters, the spin-fluctuation mechanism yields a $T_c \approx 46.8$ K incipient $s_\pm$ superconductor, consistent with surface-doped FeSe thin films. A forward-focused {\eph} interaction further enhances the $T_c$, as observed in monolayer FeSe on SrTiO$_3$.