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Orbital-order as the driving mechanism for superconductivity in ruthenates

Author

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  • Álvaro Adrián Carrasco Álvarez

    (Université de Caen, Normandie Université
    Université Paris Saclay)

  • Sébastien Petit

    (Université de Caen, Normandie Université)

  • Wilfrid Prellier

    (Université de Caen, Normandie Université)

  • Manuel Bibes

    (Université Paris Saclay)

  • Julien Varignon

    (Université de Caen, Normandie Université)

Abstract

Several materials transition from an insulating to a superconducting state by reducing the strength of the electron-phonon coupling associated with charge and bond orderings provided that the coupling remains strong enough to produce Cooper pairs. While the Jahn-Teller effect is at the core of a strong electron-phonon coupling producing insulating states and orbital and bond orderings, its implication in superconductivity remains unobserved. Here, with parameter-free first-principles calculations, we reveal that superconductivity in A2RuO4 (A = Sr, Ca) emerges due to an electron-phonon mechanism associated with the proximity of an orbital and bond-ordered phase. The model predicts critical temperatures Tc of 0.5–1.65 K in bulk Sr2RuO4 and 63–73 K in pressured Ca2RuO4, in agreement with experiments. Our results suggest that phonons strongly coupled to electrons, such as those involved in charge disproportionation or Jahn-Teller effects and inducing band gaps in various oxides, could also serve as mediators of Cooper pairs in metallic phases.

Suggested Citation

  • Álvaro Adrián Carrasco Álvarez & Sébastien Petit & Wilfrid Prellier & Manuel Bibes & Julien Varignon, 2025. "Orbital-order as the driving mechanism for superconductivity in ruthenates," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-9, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-56417-5
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-56417-5
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