Phonon squeezing in superconducting borocarbides

Abstract

The recently discovered superconductor LuNi2B2C is investigated in the context of strong electron-electron correlations modulated by a squeezed phonon mode propagating in the perpendicular direction to the layers with longitudinal polarization. The squeezed phonons arise in the anharmonic lattice expansion since the linear electron-phonon interaction vanishes due to the structure of the NiB4 tetrahedra. The observed weak isotope effect and small dependence of Tc on pressure is qualitatively understood within the framework of this model. © 1994.