Kavli Affiliate: Jeffrey B. Neaton
| First 5 Authors: Christopher J. N. Coveney, Norm M. Tubman, Chih-En Hsu, Andres Montoya-Castillo, Marina R. Filip
| Summary:
Superconductivity in doped SrTiO$_3$ was discovered in 1964, the first
superconducting transition observed in a doped semiconductor. However, the
mechanism of electron pairing in SrTiO$_3$ remains a subject of debate. By
developing a theoretical framework to incorporate dynamical lattice screening
in the electronic Coulomb interactions of semiconductors and insulators, we
demonstrate analytically that linear long-range coupling of electrons to
multiple longitudinal optical phonons, described by a generalized Fr"ohlich
mechanism, can result in superconductivity in SrTiO$_3$. Moreover, by combining
our theory with first-principles calculations, we reveal an additional
attractive interaction between electrons in SrTiO$_3$ due to the deformation
potential mechanism, arising from the mixed ionic-covalent character of the
Ti-O bond. Our results may have implications for the emergence of
phonon-mediated electron attraction and superconductivity in a broad range of
materials.
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