Electron-Phonon Coupling in Copper-Substituted Lead Phosphate Apatite

J Low Temp Phys. 2024;216(3-4):586-592. doi: 10.1007/s10909-024-03158-2. Epub 2024 May 27.

Abstract

Recent reports of room-temperature, ambient pressure superconductivity in copper-substituted lead phosphate apatite, commonly referred to as LK99, have prompted numerous theoretical and experimental studies into its properties. As the electron-phonon interaction is a common mechanism for superconductivity, the electron-phonon coupling strength is an important quantity to compute for LK99. In this work, we compare the electron-phonon coupling strength among the proposed compositions of LK99. The results of our study are in alignment with the conclusion that LK99 is a candidate for low-temperature, not room-temperature, superconductivity if electron-phonon interaction is to serve as the mechanism.

Keywords: Electron–phonon coupling; First-principles; Superconductivity.