Origin of correlated isolated flat bands in copper-substituted lead phosphate apatite

SM Griffin - arXiv preprint arXiv:2307.16892, 2023 - arxiv.org
arXiv preprint arXiv:2307.16892, 2023arxiv.org
A recent report of room temperature superconductivity at ambient pressure in Cu-substituted
apatite (LK99') has invigorated interest in the understanding of what materials and
mechanisms can allow for high-temperature superconductivity. Here I perform density
functional theory calculations on Cu-substituted lead phosphate apatite, identifying
correlated isolated flat bands at the Fermi level, a common signature of high transition
temperatures in already established families of superconductors. I elucidate the origins of …
A recent report of room temperature superconductivity at ambient pressure in Cu-substituted apatite (`LK99') has invigorated interest in the understanding of what materials and mechanisms can allow for high-temperature superconductivity. Here I perform density functional theory calculations on Cu-substituted lead phosphate apatite, identifying correlated isolated flat bands at the Fermi level, a common signature of high transition temperatures in already established families of superconductors. I elucidate the origins of these isolated bands as arising from a structural distortion induced by the Cu ions and a chiral charge density wave from the Pb lone pairs. These results suggest that a minimal two-band model can encompass much of the low-energy physics in this system. Finally, I discuss the implications of my results on possible superconductivity in Cu-doped apatite.
arxiv.org