Polariton-induced superconductivity in two-dimensional metals

Abstract

The electronic properties of two-dimensional (2D) metals are altered by changes in their three-dimensional dielectric environment. In this Letter we propose that superconductivity can be induced in a 2D metal by resonant coupling between its plasmonic collective modes and optical phonons in a nearby polar dielectric. Specifically, we predict that relatively high-temperature superconductivity can be induced in bilayer graphene twisted to an angle somewhat larger than the magic value by surrounding it with a THz polar dielectric. Our conclusions are based on numerical solutions of Eliashberg equations for massless Dirac fermions with tunable Fermi velocities and Fermi energies, and can be understood qualitatively in terms of a generalized McMillan formula.