# 𝑠- and 𝑑-wave solution of Eliashberg equations with finite bandwidth

## Abstract

In this work, we discuss the results of the direct solution of the Eliashberg equations with finite bandwidth, in the cases of $`s`$\- and $`d`$-wave symmetry for the pair wave function and in the presence of scattering from impurities. We show that the reduction of the critical temperature $`T_\mathrm{c}`$ due to the finite bandwidth depends on the value of the bandwidth itself, but is almost independent of the symmetry of the order parameter. The same happens for the shape of $`Z(\omega )`$ and $`\mathrm{\Delta }(\omega )`$. Moreover, we discuss the effect of the finite bandwidth on the shape of the quasiparticle density of states. The results clearly indicate that the infinite bandwidth approximation leads to an underestimation of the electron-boson coupling constant.

High-$`T_\mathrm{c}`$ cuprates and fullerenes are characterized by phononic energies ($`\mathrm{\Omega }_{\mathrm{phon}}`$) comparable with the electronic ones ($`E_\mathrm{F}`$) while in low-$`T_\mathrm{c}`$ superconductors it is always $`E_\mathrm{F}\mathrm{\Omega }_{\mathrm{phon}}`$. This last condition leads to the standard Eliashberg equations  obtained within the limit $`E_\mathrm{F}+\mathrm{}`$. In this paper, we study the effect of a finite bandwidth  on some relevant physical quantities in the framework of the Eliashberg theory. For simplicity, we disregard the important related problem of the breakdown of the Migdal’s theorem, and put to zero the Coulomb pseudopotential $`\mu ^{}`$ . The kernels of the Eliashberg equations (EE) for the renormalization function $`Z(\omega ,𝐤)`$ and the order parameter $`\mathrm{\Delta }(\omega ,𝐤)`$ contain the retarded electron-boson interaction $`\alpha ^2(\mathrm{\Omega },𝐤,𝐤^{})F(\mathrm{\Omega })`$. Referring to high-$`T_\mathrm{c}`$ cuprates, we assume $`𝐤`$ and $`𝐤^{}`$ to lie in the $`ab`$ plane (CuO<sub>2</sub> plane) and call $`\varphi `$ and $`\varphi ^{}`$ their azimuthal angles in this plane . We integrate over the effective band normal to the Fermi surface from $`W`$ to $`+W`$, and expand $`\alpha ^2(\mathrm{\Omega },\varphi ,\varphi ^{})F(\mathrm{\Omega })`$ in terms of basis functions $`\psi _0\left(\varphi \right)=1`$ and $`\psi _1\left(\varphi \right)=\sqrt{2}\mathrm{cos}\left(2\varphi \right)`$ in the following way:

$`\alpha ^2(\mathrm{\Omega },\varphi ,\varphi ^{})F(\mathrm{\Omega })`$ $`=`$ $`\alpha _{00}^2F(\mathrm{\Omega })\psi _0\left(\varphi \right)\psi _0\left(\varphi ^{}\right)`$   
$`+\alpha _{11}^2F(\mathrm{\Omega })\psi _1\left(\varphi \right)\psi _1\left(\varphi ^{}\right).`$   
We then search for a $`s+\mathrm{i}d`$ solution with

$`\mathrm{\Delta }_n(\varphi )`$ $``$ $`\mathrm{\Delta }(\mathrm{i}\omega _n,\varphi )=\mathrm{\Delta }_s(\mathrm{i}\omega _n)+\mathrm{\Delta }_d(\mathrm{i}\omega _n)\psi _1\left(\varphi \right)`$ (2)   
$`Z_n(\varphi )`$ $``$ $`Z(\mathrm{i}\omega _n,\varphi )=Z_s(\mathrm{i}\omega _n)+Z_d(\mathrm{i}\omega _n)\psi _1\left(\varphi \right).`$   
In this case, and in the Matsubara representation, the Eliashberg equations in the presence of impurities become :

$$\omega _nZ_n(\varphi )=\omega _n+\frac{k_BT}{\pi }\underset{m=\mathrm{}}{\overset{+\mathrm{}}{}}_0^{2\pi }d\varphi ^{}$$

$$\left[\lambda _{m,n}(\varphi ,\varphi ^{})N_m(\varphi ^{})\theta _m(\varphi ^{})+\frac{N_n(\varphi ^{})\theta _n(\varphi ^{})}{k_BT\tau }\right]$$

$$\mathrm{\Delta }_n(\varphi )Z_n(\varphi )=\frac{k_BT}{\pi }\underset{m=\mathrm{}}{\overset{+\mathrm{}}{}}_0^{2\pi }d\varphi ^{}$$

$$\left[\lambda _{m,n}(\varphi ,\varphi ^{})P_m(\varphi ^{})\theta _m(\varphi ^{})+\frac{P_n(\varphi ^{})\theta _n(\varphi ^{})}{k_BT\tau }\right]$$

$$\theta _n(\varphi )=\mathrm{tan}^1\left[W/2\sqrt{\omega _n^2Z_n^2(\varphi )+\mathrm{\Delta }_n^2(\varphi )Z_n^2(\varphi )}\right]$$

$$\lambda _{m,n}(\varphi ,\varphi ^{})=2_0^+\mathrm{}d\mathrm{\Omega }\frac{\mathrm{\Omega }\alpha ^2(\mathrm{\Omega },\varphi ,\varphi ^{})F(\mathrm{\Omega })}{\mathrm{\Omega }^2+(\omega _n\omega _m)^2}$$

where $`\omega _n=\pi (2n+1)k_BT`$, and $`\tau ^1`$ is the impurity scattering rate. Furthermore we know that:

$`P_n(\varphi )`$ $`=`$ $`\mathrm{\Delta }_n(\varphi )Z_n(\varphi )/\sqrt{\omega _n^2Z_n^2(\varphi )+\mathrm{\Delta }_n^2(\varphi )Z_n^2(\varphi )}`$ (3)   
$`N_n(\varphi )`$ $`=`$ $`\omega _nZ_n(\varphi )/\sqrt{\omega _n^2Z_n^2(\varphi )+\mathrm{\Delta }_n^2(\varphi )Z_n^2(\varphi )}.`$   
Thus we have four equations for $`Z_s(\mathrm{i}\omega _n)`$, $`Z_d(\mathrm{i}\omega _n)`$, $`\mathrm{\Delta }_s(\mathrm{i}\omega _n)`$ and $`\mathrm{\Delta }_d(\mathrm{i}\omega _n)`$. Here we only consider the case $`Z_d(\mathrm{i}\omega _n)0`$ .

In our numerical analysis we put, for simplicity, $`\alpha _{11}^2F(\mathrm{\Omega })`$=$`g_d\alpha _{00}^2F(\mathrm{\Omega })`$ where $`g_d`$ is a constant and, as a consequence, $`\lambda _d=g_d\lambda _s`$ . We used for $`\alpha _{00}^2F(\mathrm{\Omega })`$ the spectral function we experimentally determined in Bi<sub>2</sub>Sr<sub>2</sub>CaCu<sub>2</sub>O<sub>8</sub> (BSCCO)  appropriately scaled to give, in both the $`s`$ and $`d`$ cases, $`T_\mathrm{c}=97`$ K in the $`W=\mathrm{}`$ limit. The coupling constants result to be $`\lambda _s=3.15`$ for the $`s`$-wave case, $`\lambda _s=2`$ and $`\lambda _d=2.3`$ for the $`d`$-wave one.

From the direct numerical solution of the EE we found that the symmetry of $`\mathrm{\Delta }_n(\varphi )`$ depends on the values of the coupling constants $`\lambda _s`$ and $`\lambda _d`$ and, for particular values of $`\lambda _s`$ and $`\lambda _d`$, on the starting values of $`\mathrm{\Delta }_s`$ and $`\mathrm{\Delta }_d`$.

As shown in Fig. 1 (a) and (b), the dependence of $`T_\mathrm{c}`$ and $`\mathrm{\Delta }(\mathrm{i}\omega _{n=0})`$ at $`T`$=4 K on the bandwidth $`W`$ is almost the same in both the $`s`$\- and $`d`$-wave symmetries. The reduction of the bandwidth results in a sensible reduction of $`T_\mathrm{c}`$ and, on a minor extent, of $`\mathrm{\Delta }(\mathrm{i}\omega _{n=0})`$. In Fig. 2 we show the $`d`$-wave normalized density of states, calculated through the analytical continuation with Padé approximants of the imaginary-axis solution, for various values of $`W`$ at $`T`$=2 K . As in the $`s`$-wave case (not shown), the effect of a small bandwidth is remarkable particularly at high energies. These curves are in *better agreement* with tunneling experimental data than those obtained for an infinite bandwidth, particularly for the presence of a *dip* above the peak (at about $`2\mathrm{\Delta }`$) and because they asymptotically tend to 1 from above.

We have also calculated the real and imaginary parts of the functions $`\mathrm{\Delta }(\omega )`$ and $`Z(\omega )`$ in the $`s`$\- and $`d`$-wave cases. For small values of $`W`$, these functions are markedly modified with respect to the infinite bandwidth case, independently of the symmetry. In the inset of Fig. 1(a) we show (only in the $`s`$-wave case) the values of $`\lambda _{\mathrm{eff}}`$ necessary to obtain $`T_\mathrm{c}=97`$ K, for various values of $`W`$. We conclude that the use of the standard Eliahsberg equations when $`E_\mathrm{F}\mathrm{\Omega }_{\mathrm{phon}}`$ leads to *underestimate* the real value of the electron-boson coupling constant.