Superconductivity in compressed iron: Role of spin fluctuations

Abstract

The recent discovery of superconductivity in hexagonal iron under pressure poses a question about whether it is of conventional (phonon) or unconventional (magnetic?) origin. We present first-principles calculations of the electron-phonon coupling in iron at $P\agt 15$ GPa, and argue that a conventional mechanism can explain the appearance of superconductivity, but not its rapid disappearance at $P\agt 30$ GPa. We suggest that spin fluctuations, ferro- and/or antiferromagnetic, play a crucial role in superconductivity in this case.

4 pages, revtex, 3 figs embedded

References in corpus (1)

• Strong Enhancement of Superconducting T_c in Ferromagnetic Phases

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