2002/11/28 by J. E. Hirsch
Physics and Astronomy · #Asymmetry #Charge (physics) #Charge carrier #Condensed matter physics #Electron #Electron hole #Electron pair #Physics #Physics of Superconductivity and Magnetism #Quantum and electron transport phenomena #Quantum mechanics #Quantum, superfluid, helium dynamics #Superconductivity #Superfluidity #cond-mat.str-el #cond-mat.supr-con
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevb.68.012510
published as Phys.Rev. B 68, 012510 (2003)
arxiv created 2002/11/28 · openalex publication_date 2003/07/31 · arxiv updated 2009/11/30 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
In a solid, transport of electricity can occur via electrons or via holes. In the normal state of a metal experiments do not reveal whether the elementary mobile carriers have positive or negative charge. This is no longer true in the superconducting state: certain measurable properties of superconductors reveal that the superfluid carriers have negative charge. This indicates that electron-hole asymmetry plays a fundamental role in superconductivity, as proposed by the theory of hole superconductivity.