The Isotope Effect and Critical Magnetic Fields of Superconducting YH$_{6}$: A Migdal-Eliashberg Theory Approach

Abstract

The emergence of near-ambient temperature superconductivity under pressure in the metal hydride systems has motivated a desire to further understand such remarkable properties, specifically critical magnetic fields. YH$_6$ is suggested to be a departure from conventional superconductivity, due to apparent anomalous behavior. Using density functional calculations in conjunction with Migdal-Eliashberg theory we show that in YH$_6$ the critical temperature and the isotope effect under pressure, as well as the high critical fields, are consistent with strong-coupling conventional superconductivity; a property anticipated to extend to other related systems. Furthermore, the strong-coupling corrections occur to the expected BCS values for the Ginzburg-Landau parameter ($\kappa_{1}(T)$), London penetration depth ($\lambda_{L}(T)$), electromagnetic coherence length ($\xi(T)$), and the energy gap ($\Delta_{0}$).