Screening induced crossover between phonon- and plasmon-mediated pairing in layered superconductors

Two-dimensional (2D) metals can host gapless plasmonic excitations that strongly couple to electrons and thus may significantly affect superconductivity. To investigate the dynamical interplay of the electron-electron and electron-phonon interactions in the theory of 2D superconductivity, we apply a full momentum- and frequency-dependent one-loop theory treating electron-phonon, electron-plasmon, and phonon-plasmon coupling with the same accuracy. We tune the strength of the Coulomb interaction by varying the external screening & epsilon;ext to the layered superconductor and find three distinct regions. At weak screening, superconductivity is mediated by plasmons. In the opposite limit conventional electron-phonon interactions dominate. In between, we find a suppressed superconducting state. Our results show that even in conventional electron-phonon coupled layered materials, superconductivity can be significantly enhanced by the electron-plasmon coupling in a manner that can be controlled by the external screening.

Automated summary

The coupling between electrons and plasmons in two-dimensional metals has a significant impact on superconductivity. This study investigates the interplay between electron-electron and electron-phonon interactions in the theory of 2D superconductivity using a one-loop theory with accurate treatment of electron-phonon, electron-plasmon, and phonon-plasmon coupling. The results show that the strength of the Coulomb interaction and external screening can control the enhancement or suppression of superconductivity.