Hosted by: Ron Pindak and Ivan Bozovic

We propose a model of Cooper-like pairing induced by the large ion polarizabilities of O2- in Bismutates and Cuprates and As3- and Se2- in the iron pnictides*. We show that the electrical potential field induced by a charge carrier contains in its vicinity pockets of negative potential causing charge carriers to attract each other. Using this model we calculate the approximate pairing and gap energies showing they are compatible with the gap energies measured in high-Tc superconductors. Furthermore we show that the isotope effect, coherence length, and the gap energy dependence on doping are consistent with those observed in high-Tc systems. * Work done in collaboration with Yakov Girshberg