Kavli Affiliate: Jeffrey B. Neaton
| First 5 Authors: Norm M. Tubman, Christopher J. N. Coveney, 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 behind 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 long-range electron-phonon interactions described
by a generalized multi-phonon Fr"ohlich mechanism result in phonon-mediated
electron-electron attraction 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 broader range of materials.
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