Superconductors are incredible materials that can conduct electricity with absolutely zero energy loss. While traditional superconductors only work at extreme, deep-freeze temperatures, scientists have discovered “unconventional” superconductors that operate at much warmer temperatures. Understanding exactly how these unconventional materials work is one of the biggest unsolved mysteries in modern physics, because the traditional rulebook (known as BCS theory) completely fails to explain them.
In this paper, we explore a new, alternative explanation called the “Chiral Electron-Hole” (CEH) pairing mechanism. To test if this new idea is correct, we acted as scientific detectives, re-examining highly detailed experimental data from previous studies. We looked specifically at the “energy fingerprints” of electrons (quasiparticle dispersion) inside these materials using a powerful imaging technique (ARPES).
If the old traditional theory were true, the energy patterns of these electrons would look like smooth, single curves. However, our new CEH theory predicts something totally different: the energy pathways should split into two distinct lanes (a “two-band structure”) and feature sharp, angled corners (“cusps” at the back-bending points) rather than smooth bends.
By carefully analyzing the data, we found clear evidence of these exact split lanes and sharp corners. This discovery strongly suggests that the traditional theory is incorrect for these advanced materials, and that the new CEH theory provides a much better explanation for how they achieve superconductivity. Ultimately, solving the mystery of how these materials work brings us one step closer to everyday applications of superconductors, which could one day revolutionize technology with lossless power grids, advanced medical imaging, and perfectly efficient electronics.
See my new paper “Chiral Electron-Hole Pairing as the Origin of Anomalous Quasiparticle Dispersions in Unconventional Superconductors” following my first superconductivity paper “New Pairing Mechanism via Chiral Electron-Hole Condensation for Non-BCS Superconductivity“.
