Superconductive Scenarios (IMAGE)
Caption
New research uses the two-dimensional Hubbard model to study the emergence of superconductivity in a class of materials called cuprates. The model treats the materials as electrons moving around a quantum chessboard, with each electron having either an up or a down spin. When there are the same number of electrons as spaces on the chessboard, the system forms a checkerboard pattern and is not conductive. Adding electrons (in a process called electron doping) or removing them (in a process called hole doping after the empty positions left by the removed electrons) leads to different levels of superconductivity (top panel). The bottom illustrations show electron density or hole density along with spin patterns for three scenarios that exhibit superconductivity. The first scenario (a) shows an antiferromagnetic pattern resembling a checkerboard pattern of alternating up and down spins. The second (b) and third (c) scenarios show striping patterns of spin and hole density variations.
Credit
Lucy Reading-Ikkanda/Simons Foundation
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