Observation of plasmon-phonons in a metamaterial superconductor using inelastic neutron scattering

ORAL

Abstract

Recent experiments have demonstrated that the metamaterial approach is capable of drastically increasing the critical temperature, Tc, of composite metal-dielectric epsilon near zero (ENZ) metamaterial superconductors. For example, a tripling of the critical temperature was observed in bulk Al-Al2O3 ENZ core-shell metamaterials. A theoretical model based on the Maxwell-Garnett effective medium approximation provides a microscopic explanation of this effect in terms of electron-electron pairing mediated by a hybrid plasmon-phonon excitation in the composite metal-dielectric metamaterial. We report the first observation of a hybrid plasmon-phonon excitation in Al-Al2O3 ENZ core-shell metamaterials using inelastic neutron scattering. These results provide strong support for this novel mechanism of superconductivity in ENZ metamaterials and provide an explanation for the 50 year old mystery of enhanced Tc in granular aluminum thin films.

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Presenters

  • Vera Smolyaninova

    Physics, Towson University, Towson University, Department of Physics Astronomy and Geosciences, Towson University

Authors

  • Vera Smolyaninova

    Physics, Towson University, Towson University, Department of Physics Astronomy and Geosciences, Towson University

  • Jeffrey W Lynn

    National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST, NIST Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST Center for neutron research, National Institute of Standard and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD

  • Nicholas Butch

    NIST Center for Neutron Research, Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST, NIST Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology, National Institute of Standards and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park & NIST

  • Heather Chen-Mayer

    NIST, NIST Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology

  • Joseph Prestigiacomo

    United States Naval Research Laboratory, NRL

  • Michael Osofsky

    United States Naval Research Laboratory, NRL

  • Igor Smolyaninov

    Saltenna LLC