Observation of interband pairing interaction in a two-band superconductor: MgB2

The recently discovered anisotropic superconductor MgB2 is the first of its kind showing the intriguing properties of two-band superconductivity. By tunneling experiments using thin film tunnel junctions, electron-coupled phonon spectra were determined showing that superconductivity in MgB2 is phono...

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Published inPhysical review letters Vol. 94; no. 22; p. 227005
Main Authors Geerk, J, Schneider, R, Linker, G, Zaitsev, A G, Heid, R, Bohnen, K-P, v Löhneysen, H
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 10.06.2005
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Summary:The recently discovered anisotropic superconductor MgB2 is the first of its kind showing the intriguing properties of two-band superconductivity. By tunneling experiments using thin film tunnel junctions, electron-coupled phonon spectra were determined showing that superconductivity in MgB2 is phonon mediated. In a further analysis, which involves first principles calculations, the strongest feature in these spectra could be traced back to the key quantity of two-band superconductivity, the interband pairing interaction. For the phonons, this interaction turns out quite selective. It involves mainly low-energy optical phonon modes, where the boron atoms move perpendicular to the boron planes.
ISSN:0031-9007
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevLett.94.227005