Unconventional superconductivity in <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mrow> <mml:msub> <mml:mi>La</mml:mi> <mml:mn>3</mml:mn> </mml:msub> <mml:msub> <mml:mi>Ni</mml:mi> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn> </mml:msub> <mml:msub> <mml:mi ma

The recently discovered superconductor $\mathrm{La_{3}Ni_{2}O_{7}}$ has attracted significant attention due to its remarkably high transition temperature ($T_{c}$) under high pressure. Shortly after this discovery, thin-film $\mathrm{La_{3}Ni_{2}O_{7}}$ was demonstrated to exhibit ambient-pressure superconductivity; however, the corresponding $T_c$ is only about half that of the pressurized bulk material. This striking difference raises questions about the underlying mechanisms governing superconductivity in these two structures. To address this issue, we develop a phenomenological symmetry-based method to investigate the superconducting gap structure in $\mathrm{La_{3}Ni_{2}O_{7}}$. Using density-functional theory methods (DFT+$U$), together with the experimentally determined $T_c$ and structural symmetry, we find that both pressurized bulk and thin-film $\mathrm{La_{3}Ni_{2}O_{7}}$ exhibit $s_{\pm}$-wave pairing symmetry and two-gap superconductivity, yet their dominant microscopic pairing configurations are distinct. In the pressurized bulk, superconductivity is dominated by the out-of-plane pairing of the Ni-$d_{z^2}$ orbitals, while in the thin film, the in-plane pairing of the Ni-$d_{x^2-y^2}$ orbitals prevails. Furthermore, the observed reduction in $T_c$ can be attributed to this transition of the dominant pairing type, driven by the decreased ratio of inter-layer to intra-layer hoppings in the thin film. Our result sheds lights on the microscopic pairing in $\mathrm{La_{3}Ni_{2}O_{7}}$ and reveals the significance of the symmetry. This method can potentially be generalized to a broader range of unconventional superconductors.

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Publication Details

Journal
Physical review. B./Physical review. B
Published
2026-04-15
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1103/mfpr-vlnz
Primary Topic
Physics of Superconductivity and Magnetism
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Unconventional superconductivity in <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mrow> <mml:msub> <mml:mi>La</mml:mi> <mml:mn>3</mml:mn> </mml:msub> <mml:msub> <mml:mi>Ni</mml:mi> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn> </mml:msub> <mml:msub> <mml:mi ma

俊輔 泉, Yusheng Hou, Guan-Hao Feng
Physical review. B./Physical review. B
Physics of Superconductivity and Magnetism
article

Unconventional superconductivity in <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mrow> <mml:msub> <mml:mi>La</mml:mi> <mml:mn>3</mml:mn> </mml:msub> <mml:msub> <mml:mi>Ni</mml:mi> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn> </mml:msub> <mml:msub> <mml:mi ma

俊輔 泉, Yusheng Hou, Guan-Hao Feng
article en

Abstract

The recently discovered superconductor $\mathrm{La_{3}Ni_{2}O_{7}}$ has attracted significant attention due to its remarkably high transition temperature ($T_{c}$) under high pressure. Shortly after this discovery, thin-film $\mathrm{La_{3}Ni_{2}O_{7}}$ was demonstrated to exhibit ambient-pressure superconductivity; however, the corresponding $T_c$ is only about half that of the pressurized bulk material. This striking difference raises questions about the underlying mechanisms governing superconductivity in these two structures. To address this issue, we develop a phenomenological symmetry-based method to investigate the superconducting gap structure in $\mathrm{La_{3}Ni_{2}O_{7}}$. Using density-functional theory methods (DFT+$U$), together with the experimentally determined $T_c$ and structural symmetry, we find that both pressurized bulk and thin-film $\mathrm{La_{3}Ni_{2}O_{7}}$ exhibit $s_{\pm}$-wave pairing symmetry and two-gap superconductivity, yet their dominant microscopic pairing configurations are distinct. In the pressurized bulk, superconductivity is dominated by the out-of-plane pairing of the Ni-$d_{z^2}$ orbitals, while in the thin film, the in-plane pairing of the Ni-$d_{x^2-y^2}$ orbitals prevails. Furthermore, the observed reduction in $T_c$ can be attributed to this transition of the dominant pairing type, driven by the decreased ratio of inter-layer to intra-layer hoppings in the thin film. Our result sheds lights on the microscopic pairing in $\mathrm{La_{3}Ni_{2}O_{7}}$ and reveals the significance of the symmetry. This method can potentially be generalized to a broader range of unconventional superconductors.

Physical review. B./Physical review. BVol. 113(18)
Lingnan Normal University (CN), Changchun Normal University (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China, Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation of Guangdong Province
Openalex Percentile: Top 99%
Physics of Superconductivity and Magnetism
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