Year: 2024
Type: preprint
Abstract: We investigate the properties of the recently observed "demon" mode, a 3D acoustic plasmon, in Sr$_2$RuO$_4$ with an emphasis on evaluating its role for the pairing interactions in this superconductor. The demon mode is a low-energy electronic excitation, and it has been suggested that it could contribute to a reduced Coulomb repulsion and even a possible attractive interaction between electrons. In this study, we explicitly calculate the dynamically screened Coulomb interaction for Sr$_2$RuO$_4$ by using a renormalized tight-binding band structure and the random phase approximation for the dielectric function. Although the focus here is on Sr$_2$RuO$_4$, this material is considered mainly as a prototype system, having an observed demon mode, and our results should be considered as a guide for application to other systems. Our calculations show that there are regions in ($\mathbf{q}$, $ω$) space where the Coulomb interaction becomes attractive. We find that, although the demon mode is not capable of producing a total attractive electron pairing interaction in Sr$_2$RuO$_4$, it does contribute to a significant reduction in the Coulomb repulsion at the relevant pairing energy scale.
Source: arXiv (Cornell University)
Authors: Choi, Young Woo, Ihm, Jisoon, Cohen, Marvin L.
Language: English
Subfield: Condensed Matter Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: National Science Foundation
OpenAlex ID: W4400375612