Superconductivity in the generalized periodic Anderson model with strong local attraction

Abstract

We study a generalized periodic Anderson model with on-site hybridization between wide- and narrow-band electrons and strong and local coupling with the lattice deformation. Provided that the interaction with the lattice is strong enough, the narrow-band electrons will be turned into small polarons which interact attractively with each other over short distances, leading to the formation of local pairs of narrow-band electrons. This leads to a pinning of the Fermi level which is due to the fact that narrow-band electrons exist only in pair states. By means of a generalized Schrieffer-Wolff transformation we eliminate hybridization and obtain an effective Hamiltonian which describes a contact interaction between local pairs and wide-band electrons as well as the direct hopping of local pairs and interparticle Coulomb interactions. In such a system the two types of mechanisms which can lead to superconductivity have been studied. The first one is due to direct local pair hopping and involves exclusively the narrow-band subsystem giving rise to a superconductivity analogous to superfluidity in He4. The second one is due to a contact interaction between local pairs and pairs of wide-band electrons. This leads to a superconducting state involving both subsystems where the local pairs of the narrow-band subsystem induce Cooper pairing amongst the electrons of the wide-band subsystem. Consequently, the single-particle spectrum of the wide-band electrons opens up a gap around the position of the narrow band of electrons in pair states. We study the phase diagrams and the superconducting properties of two such coupled subsystems involving bosons and fermions as a function of the position of the narrow band with respect to the wide band (or the relative concentration of narrow and wide-band electrons). We also show that the critical temperature Tc and Tc/Eg(0) [Eg(0) being the energy gap] follow, in general, a strong and nonmonotonic variation. One of the most striking features of this system is that the pairs of narrow-band electrons exist in the normal phase and condense on approaching Tc from above. The existence of such a narrow boson band together with a fermion band in the normal phase leads to characteristic behavior in the specific heat over temperature variation being very similar to that observed in recent studies of nonclassical superconductors.

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