New Theory for Cooper Pair Formation and Superconductivity

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel quantum statistical mechanics-based theory for Cooper pair formation, predicting smaller pairs and applicability to high-temperature superconductors, differing from traditional BCS theory.

Contribution

It presents a new statistical framework for superconductivity that accounts for non-local permutations and predicts smaller Cooper pairs, applicable to high-temperature materials.

Findings

Cooper pairs behave as effective bosons with internal weight near unity.

No thermodynamic barrier to condensation in certain potential minima.

Predicted Cooper pair sizes are much smaller than in BCS theory.

Abstract

A new theory for Cooper pair formation and superconductivity is derived from quantum statistical mechanics. It is shown that zero momentum Cooper pairs have non-local permutations and behave as effective bosons with an internal weight close to unity when bound by a primary minimum in the potential of mean force. For a short-ranged, shallow, and highly curved minimum there is no thermodynamic barrier to condensation. The size of the condensing Cooper pairs found here is orders of magnitude smaller than those found in BCS theory. The new statistical theory is applicable to high temperature superconductors.