Cuprate superconductivity mechanism may be coming into focus
Since their dramatic debut in 1986, cuprate superconductors have been some of the best-studied materials in existence. Nonetheless, many mysteries about the materials have persisted, including perhaps the key question: What mechanism compels electrons to overcome their repulsion and pair up?
The relationship between the charge-transfer gap (left) and density of Cooper pairs (right), visualized in the wavy undulations of BSCCO layers. Where the CTG is largest (light), the density of Cooper pairs is lowest (dark); where the CTG is smallest (dark), the density of Cooper pairs is highest (light). Adjoined, the two measurements depict a visible link that suggests CTG-mediated superexchange as the mechanism for electron pairing. Credit: Wangping Ren & Shane O’Mahony
Dan Garisto 