Electron correlations and superconductivity in La$_3$Ni$_2$O$_7$ under pressure tuning (2307.16697v2)
Abstract: Motivated by the recent discovery of superconductivity in La$3$Ni$_2$O$_7$ under pressure, we discuss the basic ingredients of a model that captures its microscopic physics under pressure tuning. We anchor our description in terms of the spectroscopic evidence of strong correlations in this system. In a bilayer Hubbard model including the Ni $3d$ $x2-y2$ and $z2$ orbitals, we show the ground state of the model crosses over from a low-spin $S=1/2$ state to a high-spin $S=3/2$ state. In the high-spin state, the two $x2-y2$ and the bonding $z2$ orbitals are all close to half-filling, which promotes a strong orbital selectivity in a broad crossover regime of the phase diagram pertinent to the system. Based on these results, we construct an effective multiorbital $t$-$J$ model to describe the superconductivity of the system, and find the leading pairing channel to be an intraorbital spin singlet with a competition between the extended $s$-wave and $d{x2-y2}$ symmetries. Our results highlight the role of strong multiorbital correlation effects in driving the superconductivity of La$_3$Ni$_2$O$_7$.