Theory of Superconductivity in Strongly Correlated Electron Systems

TL;DR

This paper reviews the fundamental aspects of superconductivity in strongly correlated electron systems, emphasizing the role of Coulomb interactions and fluctuations in unconventional superconductivity and pseudogap phenomena.

Contribution

It provides a unified theoretical framework for understanding anisotropic superconductivity and pseudogap behavior across various strongly correlated materials.

Findings

Coulomb interactions induce anisotropic d- or p-wave superconductivity.

Superconducting fluctuations are key to pseudogap formation.

Theoretical analyses explain magnetic and transport properties in pseudogap states.

Abstract

In this article we review essential natures of superconductivity in strongly correlated electron systems (SCES) from a universal point of view. After summarizing experimental results on typical materials such as high-$T_{\rm c}$ cuprates, BEDT-TTF organic superconductors, and ruthenate Sr$_2$RuO$_4$, we review theoretical results for the analyses of superconducting properties of these materials based on the Fermi-liquid framework in the single- and multi-band Hubbard model. It is emphasized that the Coulomb interaction induces various types of anisotropic superconductivity, $d$- or p-wave, through the momentum dependence of quasi-particle interaction. While some inter-orbital interactions exist in the multi-orbital system, anisotropic superconductivity is induced by essentially the same mechanism, namely the momentum dependence of quasi-particle interaction. This is the understanding of the mechanism of superconductivity in SCES. Another important purpose of this article is to review anomalous electronic properties of SCES near the Mott transition. Especially, we focus on pseudogap phenomena observed in under-doped cuprates and organic superconductors. According to the recent theory, superconducting fluctuations, inherent in the quasi-two-dimensional and strong-coupling superconductors, are the origin of the pseudogap formation. Based on the microscopic theory of the superconducting fluctuations, we discuss the magnetic and transport properties as well as the single-particle spectra in the pseudogap state. As for heavy-fermion superconductors, experimental results are reviewed and several theoretical analyses on the mechanism are provided based on the same viewpoint as explained above.