Superconductivity of Ultracold Atoms

in One-Dimensional Atomic Chain

Liang-you Zheng a)

Department of Chemistry
Center for Molecular Dynamics and Energy Transfer
The Catholic University of America, Washington D.C. 20064

a) E-mail: Zheng@cua.edu 1
Abstract: In present paper we explain the superconductivity occurrence in ultra cold
atoms in one-dimensional atomic chain. The results agree with the experiment.

1. Introduction
We follow the idea of Alexander Klein et al.1), to introduce the Model Hamiltonian in
one-dimensional atomic chain2). We have a atomic chain as follows:

o...... →←........o....................o......... →←......o..................o....... →←.....o

o.....................o........ →←.....o......................o.... .... →←....o...................o.
n n+1

Figure 1 Vibration between Atoms

In general, the Hamiltonian of the electronic H$ e

and the atomic vibration H$ a
and the
Hamiltonian of the system may be written as

H$ = H$ + H$ e a
(1)
where
 p2 
H$ e = ∑i hi = ∑i  2m + ∑n V
i
(r − R )
i n


(2)
 
and

H$ = ∑ 2 (u n + 1− u n)
K 2
+ M 2
a
n 2
n
u& n
(3)

In the tight-binding approximation, the electronic Hamiltonian reads as

H$ e
= −∑ t (R n+1
− Rn )(C C + C C
+
n +1 n
+
n )
n +1
(4)
n

where t (R n+1 )
− R n is the interaction of two neighbor atoms with the electron.

R n +1
and R n are the instantaneous position of the (n+1)th atom and the nth atom.

Because the displacements of the (n+1)th and nth, u n +1

and un around the instantaneous
position Rn+1 and R n are very small, the difference between the distance of
neighboring atoms can reads as

a) E-mail: Zheng@cua.edu 2
 R n +1
− R n = R n+1 − R n +
( 0) ( 0)
(u n+1
− un )
− R n = a the lattice constant is
( 0) ( 0)
and the distance of equilibrium position of atoms R n +1

very small. In that case, u n +1

− un << a . Therefore, the interaction can be expanded as

t (R n+1
− Rn = t o − γ) (u n+1
− un ) (5)

where t 0
=t (R ( 0)
n +1
− Rn
( 0)
) is the interaction between the electron and the nearest-
dt
neighbor atoms in their equilibrium position and the is the rate of change of γ =−
dx
the interaction with respect to the distance between atoms within a unit cell.

Substituting Eq.(5) into Eq.(4) and taking into account the spin of the electrons, we
have

H$ e
= −∑ [t 0
−γ (u n+1
− un )](C C + C C
+
n +1 n
+
n n +1 ) (6)
n ,s

The total Hamiltonian is now written as the sum of Eq.(3) and Eq.(6)

H$ = H$ + H$ e a
= −∑ [t 0
−γ (u n +1
− un )](C C + C C
+
n +1 n
+
n )
n +1
n ,s

∑ 2 (u n + 1− u n) M
K 2
+
2
+
n 2
n
u& n
(7)

We can prove that Eq.(6) is equivalent to Eq.(2) in tight-binding approximation.

Su et al.3,4) First applied Eq. (7) to the trans-polyacetylene. They consider Eq.(5) as
The stander form of the electron-phonon coupling in metals.

2. Canonical Transformation 7,8)

We take the model as a two-site small Cooper pair of electrons. One spin of electron is
up and the other spin of electron must be down. Therefore, the total spin of system must
be zero. This is single state of system. In that case, we can eliminate the label “s” in
Eq.(7) as follows

H$ = −∑ [t 0
−γ (u n +1
− un )](C C + C C
+
n +1 n
+
n n+1 )
n

a) E-mail: Zheng@cua.edu 3
  + 1
+ ∑ hω q  aq aq +  (8)
q
 2

The last term is phonon energy.

According to the dynamical theory of crystal lattice5,6), we have

h  1
u =∑
+
 aq + aq +  (9)
n
q 2 NM ω q  2

ω
+
where a q
and a q are the phonon operators ,and the q
is the frequency of the
phonon.

Evaluating the spectrum of the electron is equivalent to diagonizing the Hamiltonian

+
operator. For this, we transfer the operator C n
and Cn from Bloch representation into
Wannier representation :

∑ exp(i 2πk n a)(C + C )

1
=
e o
Cn o
N k
o k k

∑ exp(i 2πk n a)(C − C )

1
=
e o
Cn e
N k
e k k
(10)

where Cn o
is the operator of an electron on the site of odd-numbered atom

Cn e
is the operator of an electron on the site of even-numbered atom

For the part of the electron Hamiltonian

H$ e
= −∑ [t 0
−γ (u n +1
− un )](C C + C C )
+
n+1 n
+
n n
(11)
n

Through the transformation, we can get

H$ = ∑ E (k )(C C + C C ) − ∑ B (a + a )(C C + C C C )

 e+ e o+ o + e+ e o+ o+ O 
e 0 k k k k k ,q q q k k k k K
(12)
k q

where E ( k ) = −2 t
0 0
cos( 2πka ) (13)

a) E-mail: Zheng@cua.edu 4
 h
and B k ,q
= 2γ cos( 2πka )
2 NM ω q
[i 2πqa] (14)

under the limit of long wave length

If we assume that the probability of an electron creation or annihilation, respectively,

around odd-numbered atoms is equivalent to the probability of creation and annihilation
of an electron around even-numbered atoms (for two-site small Cooper pair of electron
,that is true) i.e.

e+ o+
C C =C C
e o
k k k k

and

e+ o+ +
C C +C C =n +n =n =B B
e o e o B
k k k k k k k k k
(15)

Therefore, we have

H$ = ∑ [E (k ) − H$ ] B B
+
e 0 k k k
(16)
k
here

H$ = ∑ B (a + a )
+
k k ,q q q
(17)
q

The total Hamiltonian of system is rewritten as

H$ = H$ + H$ = ∑ [E (k ) − H$ ] B B + ∑ h ω  a a
 + + 1
+  (18)
e a
k
0 k k k
q
q q q
2

Now let us making a canonical transformation

Hˆ = exp(− s ) H
ˆ exp(+ s ) (19)
T

where s= ∑ ∑
k q
B
hω q
k ,q
(a q
+ a−q
+
)B +
k B k
(20)

Therefore, we obtain

Hˆ =∑ [E (k ) − ∆ ] B B + ∑ h ω  a a
0 k
+
k k
+ 1
+  (21)
 2
T q q q
k q

a) E-mail: Zheng@cua.edu 5
 2

B k,q
where ∆k = ∑
q hωq
(22)

The quantity ∆ k for two-site Cooper pair is the binding energy of Cooper pair.
And call it as superconducting energy gap eother. (?)

3. Calculation of Superconducting Critical

Temperature Tc9)
Let
E = E (k ) − ∆ ; E = hωq ; n
+
k 0 k q ˆ q = aq aq (23)

Therefore , from Eq.(21) we have

 1
Hˆ = ∑ Ek n
ˆ + ∑ Eq nˆ +  (24)
 2
T k q
k q

We will make a calculation of Tc starting from Eq.(24). The strategy is that we regard
superconducting system as a system consisting of boson particle gas. They obey boson
statistical law within grand canonical ensemble. Firstly, we calculate the grand partition
function Z g , according to the definition of grand partition function

Z g
[ (
= Tr exp − β Hˆ − µNˆ )] (25)

where

Ĥ the Hamiltonian of boson particle gas

N̂ the operator of total number of particle of system

µ the chemical potential

1
β=
k B
T

Secondly, we calculate the thermodynamical potential Ω .

a) E-mail: Zheng@cua.edu 6
and then according to the definition we can calculate the total number of particle

∂Ω
N =− (27)
∂µ

and the Helmhotz free energy

F = Ω + µN (28)

Using the stability condition of superconducting system

∂F
∂ ∆k ∆ k
δF = δ =0 (29)

We will obtain the equation of satisfaction of relationship between

Superconducting energy gap and temperature. From this, we can calculate

the Tc.

In the occupation representation, the state vector of boson particle system is

{n} = {n }{n } = {n } {n }
k q k q

= n n k1 k2
....... nki ....... nq1 n q2
........ nqi .......... (30)

According to the definition of grand partition function 8)

Z g
= Tr exp − β Hˆ − µNˆ[ ( )]
i.e.

Z g
= ∑ {n} exp − β Hˆ − µNˆ [ ( )] {n}
{n}

= ∑



{n} exp− β  ∑ E nˆ + ∑ E  nˆ k k q

q
1
+ −µ
2
(nˆ + nˆ ) {n}
k q
{}
n    k q 

∑ {n } exp− β ∑ (E − µ ) N k {n } ×
 
=
{ }
k k k
nk k 

∑ {n } exp− β ∑  E {n }
  1 
+  N q
{ }
nq
q
 q
q
2 
q

a) E-mail: Zheng@cua.edu 7
 = ∑n k1
[
exp − β (E k 1 − µ ) ] n ∑ .............∑ ............. ×
k1
nk1 nk 2 ki

  1 
∑n exp − β  E q1 + 
2  n ∑ .........∑ ................
 
q1 q1
q1 q2 qi

1 1
C 1 − exp[− β ( )]C 1 − exp(− β E)
(31)
ε k − ∆k
=
k q q

where
ε = E (k ) − µ
k 0

From Eq.(26), (27), (28), and (31) we obtain

µβ exp[− β (ε k − ∆ k )] = exp[− β (ε k − ∆ k )] − 1 (32)

This is the equation of relationship between superconducting energy gap and temperature.

When T=Tc, we request ∆ k

= 0 . In that case, we have

[
µ β c exp − β c ε k = exp β c ε k − 1
c
] c
(33)

This is the transcendental equation

β ε = E (k ) − µ
1
=
c
Here k 0
c
kT B c

Tc is critical temperature of superconductivity, k B

is Boltzmann constant.

Solving equation (33) we obtain

µ
T c
= (34)
k B

4. Discussion

We use the parameter data provided by N.G. Parker et al10). We can calculate the critical
temperature of superconductivity of ultra cold atoms

For µ 1D
= 35h ω z

a) E-mail: Zheng@cua.edu 8
 Tc = 83.7nK

For µ 1D
= 70h ω z

Tc ≈ 168nK

They are agreement with current level of experiments. Dr. Steven Chu Group is 780nK.

a) E-mail: Zheng@cua.edu 9
References:
1. arXiv:quant-ph//0601083v2 30 May 2006, Alexander Klein and Dieter Jaksch.

2. THEOCHEM, 572(2001)1-4, Liang-you Zheng , Ying-Nan Chiu, Xing-Cai Xiao,

P. Palting, and Shan-Tao Lai..

3. W.P.Su, J.Schriffer, A. Heeger, Phys.Rev. Lett. 42(1979)698.

4. W.P.Su, J.Schriffer, A. Heeger, Phys.Rev. 22(1980) 2099.

5. M.Born, K. Wang

6. “Dynamical Theory of Crystal Lattice “Oxford Classic Texts in the Physics

Science 1954.

7. J. Callaway, “ Quantum Theory of Solid State”, Academic Press, New York 1991.

8 A.L.Fetter , J. Dick Walec, “ Quantum Theory of Many Particle System”

McGrownHill ,New York 1971.

9. THEOCHEM 680 (2004)37-39, Liang-you Zheng ,Ying-Nan Chiu , S. T. Lai.

10. arXiv:cond-mat/o212278v2 5 MAY 2003, N.G.Parker, N.P. Proukakis,

M.Leadbeater and C.S.Adams.

a) E-mail: Zheng@cua.edu 10