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arXiv:2411.07292 · Physical review. B./Physical review. B

High-temperature superconductivity from kinetic energy

Hanbit Oh, Hui Yang, Ya-Hui Zhang

Published Oct 14, 2026• 0 citations
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Abstract

Superconductivity is usually assumed to arise from attractive interaction. In this work we show that strong pairing is possible soley from kinetic energy even without a net attraction. We demonstrate a high-temperature kinetic superconductor in a simple lattice model with nearest-neighbor hopping ($t$) projected onto a constrained Hilbert space, analogous to the $t$-$J$ model with $J=0$, where kinetic magnetism has been previously studied. Using density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) on cylinders up to width $L_y=8$, we find a superconducting ground state exhibiting a key difference from high-$T_c$ cuprates: both the pairing gap and phase stiffness \textit{increase} with doping ($x$). We find pairing gaps, determined from spin and single-electron charge gaps, exceeding $1.5t$. This model can be realized within the double Kondo lattice model, relevant to bilayer nickelates, in the limit of strong inter-layer spin coupling ($J_\perp/t \rightarrow +\infty$) and a balancing inter-layer repulsion ($V$). Importantly, the double Kondo model does not fundamentally restrict $J_\perp/t$, suggesting the potential for high critical temperatures ($T_c$) approaching $0.5t$. While this idealized limit predicts large pairing gaps, we show a smooth connection to the more realistic regime with $J_\perp \sim t$, albeit with a reduced pairing gap of approximately $0.1t$. Assuming $t \sim 10^3$ K in typical solid state systems, our model suggests the exciting possibility of achieving $T_c$ of hundreds of Kelvin. We propose searching for bilayer materials with reduced out-of-plane lattice constants to better approximate the conditions of our ideal model.

DOI
10.1103/xrjk-y28y

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Abstract In this article, we review some recent theoretical developments on potential high-temperature superconductors and unconventional metallic states that can arise from doping a spin-one Mott insulator in the d 8 valence. These studies are particularly relevant—though not limited—to the recently discovered bilayer nickelate superconductor La 3 Ni 2 O 7 . We focus on a ferromagnetic Kondo lattice model with mobile electrons in the d x 2 − y 2 orbital coupled to the localized spin moments in d z 2 orbital through a large Hund’s coupling J H . In the large J H limit, the model reduces to the type II t − J model with a mixture of spin-half singlon states and spin-one doublon states. We summarize density matrix renormalization group results on the Luther-Emery liquid in one dimensional chain and two-leg ladder. Then we mainly focus on bilayer square lattice and show that a large inter-layer coupling J ⊥ of d z 2 orbital can induce strong inter-layer pairing of d x 2 − y 2 orbital. In the strong J ⊥ limit, a kinetic-energy driven high T c superconductivity is demonstrated in an ideal model with only a single hopping term. Furthermore, the model predicts a symmetric pseudogap metal—dubbed ‘second Fermi liquid (FL)’—in the underdoped regime, yielding a phase diagram analogous to that of hole-doped cuprates. The bilayer Kondo model therefore presents a promising platform for both realizing higher- T c superconductors and exploring non-FL physics. We also comment on the possible limitations of the current models for the bilayer nickelate material and point out some future directions.
In this work, we propose and study a double Kondo lattice model which hosts robust superconductivity. The system consists of two identical Kondo lattice model, each with Kondo coupling JKJ_KJK​ within each layer, while the localized spin moments are coupled together via an inter-layer on-site antiferromagnetic spin coupling J⊥J_\perpJ⊥​. We consider the strong J⊥J_\perpJ⊥​ limit, wherein the local moments tend to form rung singlets and are thus gapped. However, the Kondo coupling JKJ_KJK​ transmits the inter-layer entanglement between the local moments to the itinerant electrons. Consequently, the itinerant electrons experience a strong inter-layer antiferromangetic spin coupling and form strong inter-layer pairing, which is confirmed through numerical simulation in one dimensional system. Experimentally, the JK→−∞J_K \rightarrow -\inftyJK​→−∞ limits of the model describes the recently found bilayer nickelate La3_33​Ni2_22​O7_77​, while the JK>0J_K>0JK​>0 side can be realized in tetralayer optical lattice of cold atoms. Two extreme limits, JK→−∞J_K \rightarrow -\inftyJK​→−∞ and JK→+∞J_K \rightarrow +\inftyJK​→+∞ limit are shown to be simplified to a bilayer type II t-J model and a bilayer one-orbital t-J model, respectively. Thus, our double Kondo lattice model offers a unified framework for nickelate superconductor and tetralayer optical lattice quantum simulator upon changing the sign of JKJ_KJK​. We highlight both the qualitative similarity and the quantitative difference in the two sides of JKJ_KJK​. Finally, we discuss the possibility of a symmetric Kondo breakdown transition in the model with a symmetric pseudogap metal corresponding to the usual heavy Fermi liquid.
While superconductors are conventionally established by attractive interactions, higher-temperature mechanisms for emergent electronic pairing from strong repulsive electron-electron interactions remain under considerable scrutiny. Here, we establish a strong-coupling mechanism for intertwined superconductivity and magnetic order from purely repulsive interactions in a Kondo-like bilayer system, composed of a two-dimensional Mott insulator coupled to a layer of weakly-interacting itinerant electrons. Combining large scale DMRG and Monte Carlo simulations, we find that superconductivity persists and coexists with magnetism over a wide range of interlayer couplings. We classify the resulting rich phase diagram and find 2-rung antiferromagnetic and 4-rung antiferromagnetic order in one-dimensional systems along with a phase separation regime, while finding that superconductivity coexists with either antiferromagnetic or ferromagnetic order in two dimensions. Remarkably, the model permits a rigorous strong-coupling analysis via localized spins coupled to charge-2e bosons through Kugel-Khomskii interactions, capturing the pairing mechanism in the presence of magnetism due to emergent attractive interactions. Our numerical analysis reveals that pairing remains robust well beyond the strong-coupling regime, establishing a new mechanism for superconductivity in coupled weakly- and strongly-interacting electron systems, relevant for infinite-layer nickelates and superconductivity in moire multilayer heterostructures.
Abstract Ever since the discovery of high-temperature superconductivity in cuprates, gaining microscopic insights into the nature of pairing in strongly correlated systems has remained one of the greatest challenges in modern condensed matter physics. Following recent experiments reporting superconductivity in the bilayer nickelate La3Ni2O7 (LNO) with remarkably high critical temperatures of Tc = 80 K, it has been argued that the low-energy physics of LNO can be described by the strongly correlated, mixed-dimensional bilayer t–J model. Here we investigate this bilayer system and utilize density matrix renormalization group techniques to establish a thorough understanding of the model and the magnetically induced pairing through comparison to the perturbative limit of dominating inter-layer spin couplings. In particular, this allows us to explain appearing finite-size effects, firmly establishing the existence of long-range superconducting order in the thermodynamic limit. By analyzing binding energies, we predict a BEC–BCS crossover as a function of the Hamiltonian parameters. We find large binding energies of the order of the inter-layer coupling that suggest strikingly high critical temperatures of the Berezinskii–Kosterlitz–Thouless transition, raising the question of whether (mixD) bilayer superconductors possibly facilitate critical temperatures above room temperature.
We study the prerequisites for realizing superconductivity in doped triangular-lattice Mott insulators by considering three distinct parent spin backgrounds, i.e., ${120}^{\ensuremath{\circ}}$ antiferromagnets, quantum spin liquid, and stripy antiferromagnets, and all possible sign combinations $({\ensuremath{\tau}}_{1},{\ensuremath{\tau}}_{2})$ of nearest-neighbor hopping and next-nearest-neighbor hopping (t1,t2)({t}_{1},{t}_{2})(t1​,t2​). Based on density matrix renormalization group calculations, we find that, with finite t2{t}_{2}t2​ and specific sign combinations $({\ensuremath{\tau}}_{1},{\ensuremath{\tau}}_{2})$, the quasi-long-range superconductivity order can always be achieved, regardless of the nature of the parent spin backgrounds. Besides specific hopping signs $({\ensuremath{\tau}}_{1},{\ensuremath{\tau}}_{2})$, these superconductivity phases in triangular lattices are commonly characterized by short-ranged spin correlations and two charges per stripe. In the robust superconductivity phase realized at larger t2/t1{t}_{2}/{t}_{1}t2​/t1​, flipping the signs ${\ensuremath{\tau}}_{2}$ and ${\ensuremath{\tau}}_{1}$ gives rise to the stripe phase without strong pairing and a pseudogaplike phase without Cooper-pair phase coherence, respectively. Interestingly, the roles of the two hopping signs are switched at smaller t2/t1{t}_{2}/{t}_{1}t2​/t1​. Moreover, different sign combinations $({\ensuremath{\tau}}_{1},{\ensuremath{\tau}}_{2})$ would stabilize distinct phases including superconductivity, charge density waves, spin density waves, and pseudogaplike phases accordingly. Our findings suggest the important role of charge kinetic energy in realizing superconductivity in doped triangular-lattice Mott insulators.
Evolution from intralayer to interlayer superconductivity in a bilayer ttt-JJJ model
Motivated by the bilayer cuprate superconductors and nickelate superconductor La3_33​Ni2_22​O7_77​, we investigate the evolution from intralayer to interlayer superconductivity based on a bilayer two-leg ttt-JJJ-J⊥J_{\bot}J⊥​ model, where ttt is the in-plane electron hopping, JJJ is the in-plane spin interaction, and J⊥J_{\bot}J⊥​ is the inter-plane spin interaction. By means of the density matrix renormalization group calculations, we obtain the quantum phase diagram of the system by tuning J⊥J_{\bot}J⊥​ in a large doping range δ=1/8−1/2δ= 1/8 - 1/2δ=1/8−1/2. We find that a large J⊥J_{\bot}J⊥​ can always drive an interlayer superconductivity by coupling the two layers in both the Luther-Emery liquid and Luttinger liquid states. By coupling two Luther-Emery liquid states, the in-plane superconductivity evolves to inter-plane superconductivity either through an intermediate charge density wave (CDW) phase or directly, depending on doping ratio. This emergent CDW phase, which exists over a finite doping range, appears to develop from the CDW state of the two-leg ladder at δ=1/4δ= 1/4δ=1/4. By coupling two Luttinger liquids, the in-plane Luttinger liquids show a transition to the inter-plane superconducting phase at large J⊥J_{\bot}J⊥​, as reported in previous literature. Interestingly, in the intermediate J⊥J_{\bot}J⊥​ regime we find that while the in-plane Luttinger-liquid features remain stable, the inter-plane superconductivity can develop an enhanced quasi-long-range order with the power exponent KSCzz∼1K^{zz}_{\rm SC} \sim 1KSCzz​∼1. At last, we show that the interlayer superconductivity is also stable by coupling the bilayer three-leg ttt-JJJ ladders by a strong J⊥J_{\bot}J⊥​ interaction, from both the Luther-Emery liquid and Luttinger-liquid states.