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Superconductivity

Pairing glue or inelastic tunnelling?

Scanning tunnelling microscopy studies have identified a vibrational phonon mode in a high-temperature superconductor, but is it evidence for an electron–phonon pairing interaction or is it a signature of an inelastic tunnelling channel?

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Figure 1: What is being probed?

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Acknowledgements

I would like to acknowledge the Center for Nanophase Materials Science at Oak Ridge National Laboratory for support.

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Scalapino, D. Pairing glue or inelastic tunnelling?. Nature Phys 2, 593–594 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphys398

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