Enhanced Superconductivity in Proximity to Peaks in Densities of States

Abstract

For the BCS theory of superconductivity, the electron-phonon interaction is transformed to an attractive electron-electron interaction in the vicinity of the Fermi energy only. At the same time, its formal derivation using a unitary transformation reveals that the electrons attract one another whenever their energies do not differ more than the phonon energy ${\omega }_{\mathrm{D}}$, independent of closeness to the Fermi energy. Consequently, the order parameter becomes finite even away from the Fermi level. Yet, for small interactions, its magnitude is usually small and can be safely ignored, justifying the BCS approximation. Intriguingly, we find that an accumulation of density-of-states at an energy ${\epsilon }_{\mathrm{peak}}$ in proximity to the Fermi energy induces a significant order parameter magnitude around ${\epsilon }_{\mathrm{peak}}$, which exceeds the one at $E_{\mathrm{F}}$ for moderate coupling strengths. This strong enhancement is heralded by the softening of an additional collective mode, which resembles a second phase transition. We predict measurable signatures in the thermodynamic and spectroscopic response of this unexpected phenomenon, guiding future experimental searches for it.

6 pages, 4 figures, Supplement available in ancillary files v2: Added various clarifications in the main text and additional information in the Supplemental Material