March 22, 2024 | Zhenfeng Ouyang, Miao Gao, and Zhong-Yi Lu
A recent study reports the emergence of superconductivity in La3Ni2O7 under pressure, with a maximum transition temperature (Tc) of approximately 80 K at 14 GPa. This discovery marks the second occurrence of superconductivity in the nickelate family, raising Tc to the liquid nitrogen temperature range. The study investigates the phonon properties and electron-phonon coupling in La3Ni2O7 under 29.5 GPa using density functional theory and Wannier interpolation techniques. The results show that electron-phonon coupling is insufficient to explain the high Tc of ~80 K, suggesting that unconventional superconductivity mechanisms are at play. The calculated strong Fermi surface nesting may explain the experimental observation of a charge density wave (CDW) transition in La3Ni2O7. The study confirms that La3Ni2O7 is an unconventional superconductor. The phonon spectrum shows no imaginary phonons, indicating dynamic stability. The electron-phonon coupling parameter λ is calculated to be 0.14, which is too weak to support BCS pairing. The McMillian-Allen-Dynes formula predicts a Tc of 0 K, suggesting that the superconductivity in La3Ni2O7 is not due to electron-phonon coupling but rather strong electronic correlations. The strong Fermi surface nesting is proposed to explain the CDW transition. The study concludes that La3Ni2O7 is an unconventional high-Tc superconductor, with superconductivity arising from strong electronic correlations rather than electron-phonon coupling. The results also confirm that superconductivity in nickelates can occur through unconventional Cooper pairing.A recent study reports the emergence of superconductivity in La3Ni2O7 under pressure, with a maximum transition temperature (Tc) of approximately 80 K at 14 GPa. This discovery marks the second occurrence of superconductivity in the nickelate family, raising Tc to the liquid nitrogen temperature range. The study investigates the phonon properties and electron-phonon coupling in La3Ni2O7 under 29.5 GPa using density functional theory and Wannier interpolation techniques. The results show that electron-phonon coupling is insufficient to explain the high Tc of ~80 K, suggesting that unconventional superconductivity mechanisms are at play. The calculated strong Fermi surface nesting may explain the experimental observation of a charge density wave (CDW) transition in La3Ni2O7. The study confirms that La3Ni2O7 is an unconventional superconductor. The phonon spectrum shows no imaginary phonons, indicating dynamic stability. The electron-phonon coupling parameter λ is calculated to be 0.14, which is too weak to support BCS pairing. The McMillian-Allen-Dynes formula predicts a Tc of 0 K, suggesting that the superconductivity in La3Ni2O7 is not due to electron-phonon coupling but rather strong electronic correlations. The strong Fermi surface nesting is proposed to explain the CDW transition. The study concludes that La3Ni2O7 is an unconventional high-Tc superconductor, with superconductivity arising from strong electronic correlations rather than electron-phonon coupling. The results also confirm that superconductivity in nickelates can occur through unconventional Cooper pairing.