Hole superconductivity in $H_{2}S$ and other sulfides under high pressure

Abstract

Superconductivity at temperatures up to 190 K at high pressures has recently been observed in $H_{2}S$ and interpreted as conventional BCS-electron-phonon-driven superconductivity.\cite{h2s} Instead we propose that it is another example of the mechanism of hole superconductivity at work. Within this mechanism high temperature superconductivity arises when holes conduct through negatively charged anions in close proximity. We propose that electron transfer from $H$ to $S$ leads to conduction by holes in a nearly full band arising from direct overlap of $S^{=}$ $p$ orbitals in a planar structure. The superconductivity is non-phononic and is driven by pairing of heavily dressed hole carriers to lower their kinetic energy. Possible explanations for the observed lower critical temperature of $D_{2}S$ are discussed. We predict that high temperature superconductivity will also be found in other sulfides under high pressure such as $L{i}_{2}S$, $N{a}_{2}S$ and $K_{2}S$.

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• First-principles study of the pressure and crystal-structure dependences of the superconducting transition temperature in compressed sulfur hydrides
• Effect of van Hove singularities on high-Tc superconductivity in H3S
• High-temperature superconductivity in hydrides: experimental evidence and details
• Phase Diagram and High-Temperature Superconductivity of Compressed Selenium Hydrides
• High-pressure Phase Stability and Superconductivity of Pnictogen Hydrides and Chemical Trends for Compressed Hydrides
• Comparison of pressurized sulfur hydride with conventional superconductors
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• Non-BCS thermodynamic properties of H2S superconductor
• High-temperature study of superconducting hydrogen and deuterium sulfide
• The Search for Superconductivity in High Pressure Hydrides
• High-pressure phase diagram of hydrogen and deuterium sulfides from first principles: structural and vibrational properties including quantum and anharmonic effects
• Hole superconductivity in infinite-layer nickelates
• Electron-phonon coupling and exchange-correlation effects in superconducting ${\mathrm{H}}_3\mathrm{S}$ under high pressure
• Classifying hydrogen-rich superconductors
• Structure and composition of C-S-H compounds up to 143 GPa
• Understanding electron-doped cuprate superconductors as hole superconductors
• Classifying induced superconductivity in atomically thin Dirac-cone materials
• The isotope effect in H${}_3$S superconductor
• Classifying superconductivity in ThH-ThD superhydrides/superdeuterides
• The possible role of van Hove singularities in the high $T_c$ of superconducting H${}_3$S
• Specific heat of underdoped cuprate superconductors from a phenomenological layered Boson-Fermion model
• Why only hole conductors can be superconductors
• Towards an understanding of hole superconductivity