Normal state quantum geometry, non-locality and superconductivity

Abstract

We investigate aspects of the relation between the quantum geometry of the normal state (NS) and the superconducting phase, through the lens of non-locality. By relating band theory to quantum estimation theory, we derive a direct momentum-dependent relation between quantum geometry and the quantum fluctuations of the position operator. We then investigate two effects of the NS quantum geometry on superconductivity. On the one hand, we present a physical interpretation of the conventional and geometric contributions to the superfluid weight in terms of two different movements of the normal state charge carriers forming the Cooper pairs. The first contribution stems from their center-of-mass motion while the second stems from their zero-point motion, thereby explaining its persistence in flat-band systems. On the other hand, we phenomenologically derive an emergent Darwin term driven by the NS quantum metric. We show its form in one and two-body problems, derive the effective pairing potential in $s$-wave superconductors, and explicit its form in the case of two-dimensional massive Dirac fermions. We thus show that the NS quantum metric screens the pairing interaction and weakens superconductivity, which could be tested experimentally by doping a superconductor. Our work reveals the ambivalent relationship between non-interacting quantum geometry and superconductivity, and possibly in other correlated phases.