Export citation

Export citation

Choose format for download:

Download Citation
  • Editors' Suggestion

Quasiparticle GW for superconductors: Toward a unified treatment of electron-phonon and electron-plasmon couplings

Catalin D. Spataru1,*, Christopher Renskers2, and Elena R. Margine2

  • *Contact author: cdspata@sandia.gov

Phys. Rev. B 114, 094501 – Published 3 August, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/f8qb-2l59

Abstract

Superconducting two-dimensional materials, and in particular few‐layer graphene, offer an exciting platform for low‐power electronics, yet the origin of their unconventional superconductivity remains an open question. Prevailing theories, primarily rooted in the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) framework that assumes electron-phonon interactions are the main mechanism of superconductivity, struggle to account quantitatively for the observed phenomena. Recent studies point to a plasmonic pairing mechanism in graphene systems; however, disentangling the relative contributions of phonon- and plasmon-mediated pairing remains challenging due to the lack of a satisfactory first-principles framework capable of accurately capturing dynamical screening effects in the electronic channel. Here, we present a theoretical framework that extends the quasiparticle self-consistent GW method to the superconducting phase by coupling it with the Eliashberg treatment of both phonon- and plasmon-mediated interactions. Our approach, termed superconducting quasiparticle GW (s-qpGW), is on par with the state-of-the-art Eliashberg theory of superconductivity when applied to bulk metals, and correctly predicts the absence of superconductivity in doped monolayer graphene. To differentiate s-qpGW from conventional Eliashberg approaches, we study a simple model system, graphene with an artificially enhanced density of states, and demonstrate that s-qpGW captures dynamical Coulomb screening effects in ways that standard BCS theory cannot.

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Authorization Required

We need you to provide your credentials before accessing this content.

References (Subscription Required)

Outline

Information

Sign In to Your Journals Account

Filter

Filter

Article Lookup

Enter a citation