Why only hole conductors can be superconductors

Abstract

The conventional theory of superconductivity says that charge carriers in a metal that becomes superconducting can be either electrons or holes. I argue that this is incorrect. In order to satisfy conservation of mechanical momentum and of entropy of the universe in the superconductor to normal transition in the presence of a magnetic field it is necessary that the normal state charge carriers are holes. I will also review the empirical evidence in favor of the hypothesis that all superconductors are hole superconductors, and discuss the implications of this for the search for higher $T_c$ superconductors.

References in corpus (6)

• Superconducting materials classes: introduction and overview
• Hole superconductivity in $H_{2}S$ and other sulfides under high pressure
• The missing angular momentum of superconductors
• Hole superconductivity in Arsenic-Iron compounds
• Do superconductors violate Lenz's law? Body rotation under field cooling and theoretical implications
• Kinetic energy driven superconductivity, the origin of the Meissner effect, and the reductionist frontier