Observation Of Plasmon-Phonons In A Metamaterial Superconductor Using Inelastic Neutron Scattering

A metamaterial approach is capable of drastically increasing the critical temperature, T-c, of composite metal-dielectric superconductors as demonstrated by the tripling of Tc that was observed in bulk Al-Al2O3 core-shell metamaterials. A theoretical model based on the Maxwell-Garnett approximation provides a microscopic explanation of this effect in terms of electron-electron pairing mediated by a hybrid plasmon-phonon excitation. We report an observation of this excitation in Al-Al2O3 core-shell metamaterials using inelastic neutron scattering. This result provides support for this mechanism of superconductivity in metamaterials.