Project title: A new superconducting landscape from disorder and moiré structures
Main applicant: Annica Black-Schaffer, Division of Materials Theory
Grant amount: SEK 10 000 000 for the period 2023-2027
Superconductivity is a uniquely quantum phenomenon that despite decades of research is still very hard to control. It is heavily dependent on the density of states (DOS) around zero energy, but this DOS tunability has remained largely untapped. This proposal aims to theoretically create and enhance superconductivity by producing large DOS peaks at zero energy using atomic-scale inhomogeneity. A rare, not yet understood, example is twisted bilayer graphene, where small twist angles produce an inhomogeneous moiré structure hosting large zero-energy DOS peaks that have recently been shown to create superconductivity. In this project we will understand and enhance superconductivity in moiré structures. We will also realize and understand superconductivity driven by disorder and quasicrystalline patterns, which both generates a combination of zero-energy DOS peaks and multifractal wave functions, together providing exceptional possibilities for superconductivity driven by atomic-scale inhomogeneity. To succeed with this project, we will use and further develop our own state-of-the-art numerical tools to self-consistently study superconductivity at the atomistic level in very large inhomogeneous systems.
