Electron-phonon interactions of Si100 and Ge100 superconductors with Ba atoms inside

The absolute density of states of isostructural Ba24Si100 and Ba24Ge100 near the Fermi level, which is very relevant for discussion on phonon-mediated superconductivity, is quantitatively evaluated to be 0.28  states  eV⁻¹/Ge  atom and 0.18  states  eV⁻¹/Si   atom by combining soft x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and magnetic susceptibility measurements. The energetics of the anharmonic motions of the endohedral Ba atoms are also discussed on the basis of the 4d-core-level spectra. The discussion based on these important physical parameters concludes that the unique electron-phonon interactions do not occur due to the local Jahn-Teller distortion of the fragile open cage structure in the phonon-mediated BCS formalism. Compounds with a rigid cage would be essential to give rise to anticipated unique interactions as a key ingredient favored for superconducting paring.