Effective low-energy theory of superconductivity in carbon nanotube ropes

Abstract

We derive and analyze the low-energy theory of superconductivity in carbon nanotube ropes. A rope is modelled as an array of metallic nanotubes, taking into account phonon-mediated as well as Coulomb interactions, and arbitrary Cooper pair hopping amplitudes (Josephson couplings) between different tubes. We use a systematic cumulant expansion to construct the Ginzburg-Landau action including quantum fluctuations. The regime of validity is carefully established, and the effect of phase slips is assessed. Quantum phase slips are shown to cause a depression of the critical temperature $T_c$ below the mean-field value, and a temperature-dependent resistance below $T_c$. We compare our theoretical results to recent experimental data of Kasumov {\sl et al.} [Phys. Rev. B {\bf 68}, 214521 (2003)] for the sub-$T_c$ resistance, and find good agreement with only one free fit parameter. Ropes of nanotubes therefore represent superconductors in the one-dimensional few-channel limit.

11 pages, 4 figures, to appear in PRB

References in corpus (8)

• Quantum Phase Slips in Superconducting Nanowires
• Quantum Tunneling of the Order Parameter in Superconducting Nanowires
• Quantum transport through carbon nanotubes: proximity induced and intrinsic superconductivity
• Acoustic phonon exchange, attractive interactions, and the Wentzel-Bardeen singularity in single-wall nanotubes
• Quantum fluctuations in thin superconducting wires of finite length
• Microscopic model of superconductivity in carbon nanotubes
• Superconductivity and Charge Density Wave in a Quasi-One-Dimensional Spin Gap System
• Superconductivity in carbon nanotube ropes

Cited by in corpus (8)

• Coulomb screening and electronic instabilities of small-diameter (5,0) nanotubes
• Superconducting diamagnetic fluctuations in ropes of carbon nanotubes
• Superconducting instability in 3 band metallic nanotubes
• Alteration of superconductivity of suspended carbon nanotubes by deposition of organic molecules
• Disorder-induced superconductivity in ropes of carbon nanotubes
• Influence of electron-phonon coupling on low temperature phases of metallic single-wall carbon nanotubes
• 1D goes 2D: A Kosterlitz Thouless transition in superconducting arrays of 4-Angstrom carbon nanotubes
• dc Josephson Effect in Metallic Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes