Possible Superconductivity in Very Thin Magnesium Films
It is known that noble metals such as gold, silver and copper are not superconductors; this is also true for magnesium. This is due to the weakness of the electron–phonon interaction, which makes them excellent conductors but not superconductors. As has recently been shown for gold, silver and coppe...
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MDPI AG
2025-03-01
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| author | Giovanni Alberto Ummarino Alessio Zaccone |
| author_facet | Giovanni Alberto Ummarino Alessio Zaccone |
| author_sort | Giovanni Alberto Ummarino |
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| description | It is known that noble metals such as gold, silver and copper are not superconductors; this is also true for magnesium. This is due to the weakness of the electron–phonon interaction, which makes them excellent conductors but not superconductors. As has recently been shown for gold, silver and copper, and even for magnesium, it is possible that in very particular situations, superconductivity may occur. Quantum confinement in thin films has been consistently shown to induce a significant enhancement of the superconducting critical temperature in several superconductors. It is therefore an important fundamental question whether ultra-thin film confinement may induce observable superconductivity in non-superconducting metals such as magnesium. We study this problem using a generalization, in the Eliashberg framework, of a BCS theory of superconductivity in good metals under thin-film confinement. By numerically solving these new Eliashberg-type equations, we find the dependence of the superconducting critical temperature on the film thickness, <i>L</i>. This parameter-free theory predicts superconductivity in very thin magnesium films. We demonstrate that this is a fine-tuning problem where the thickness must assume a very precise value, close to half a nanometer. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d49aa10015f04d66bc4d035353077c45 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2410-3896 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Condensed Matter |
| spelling | doaj-art-d49aa10015f04d66bc4d035353077c452025-08-20T02:11:18ZengMDPI AGCondensed Matter2410-38962025-03-011011710.3390/condmat10010017Possible Superconductivity in Very Thin Magnesium FilmsGiovanni Alberto Ummarino0Alessio Zaccone1Department of Applied Science and Technology, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Torino, ItalyDepartment of Physics “A. Pontremoli”, University of Milan, via Celoria 16, 20133 Milan, ItalyIt is known that noble metals such as gold, silver and copper are not superconductors; this is also true for magnesium. This is due to the weakness of the electron–phonon interaction, which makes them excellent conductors but not superconductors. As has recently been shown for gold, silver and copper, and even for magnesium, it is possible that in very particular situations, superconductivity may occur. Quantum confinement in thin films has been consistently shown to induce a significant enhancement of the superconducting critical temperature in several superconductors. It is therefore an important fundamental question whether ultra-thin film confinement may induce observable superconductivity in non-superconducting metals such as magnesium. We study this problem using a generalization, in the Eliashberg framework, of a BCS theory of superconductivity in good metals under thin-film confinement. By numerically solving these new Eliashberg-type equations, we find the dependence of the superconducting critical temperature on the film thickness, <i>L</i>. This parameter-free theory predicts superconductivity in very thin magnesium films. We demonstrate that this is a fine-tuning problem where the thickness must assume a very precise value, close to half a nanometer.https://www.mdpi.com/2410-3896/10/1/17quantum confinementthin filmsEliashberg theory |
| spellingShingle | Giovanni Alberto Ummarino Alessio Zaccone Possible Superconductivity in Very Thin Magnesium Films Condensed Matter quantum confinement thin films Eliashberg theory |
| title | Possible Superconductivity in Very Thin Magnesium Films |
| title_full | Possible Superconductivity in Very Thin Magnesium Films |
| title_fullStr | Possible Superconductivity in Very Thin Magnesium Films |
| title_full_unstemmed | Possible Superconductivity in Very Thin Magnesium Films |
| title_short | Possible Superconductivity in Very Thin Magnesium Films |
| title_sort | possible superconductivity in very thin magnesium films |
| topic | quantum confinement thin films Eliashberg theory |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2410-3896/10/1/17 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT giovannialbertoummarino possiblesuperconductivityinverythinmagnesiumfilms AT alessiozaccone possiblesuperconductivityinverythinmagnesiumfilms |