Superconducting energy gap and normal-state conductivity of a single-domain YBa2Cu3O7 crystal

Wavelength dependence of linear birefringence and linear dichroism of Bi2-xPbxSr2CaCu2O8+δ single crystals

Copper oxide high-temperature superconductors, such as Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ (Bi2212), have garnered extensive research interest due to their high critical temperatures (Tc) surpassing the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) limit. The two-dimensional CuO₂ plane is widely regarded as the most crucial element of high-Tc cuprate superconductors. The anisotropy of this CuO₂ layer remains a topic of ongoing interest. Although a few experimental results have reported strong optical anisotropy in both ab and ac-planes of Bi2212 through optical "reflectivity" measurements, there is a lack of studies focusing on the optical anisotropy of these materials using optical "transmittance" measurements by utilizing ultraviolet and visible light. Using a generalized high-accuracy universal polarimeter, we observed significant linear birefringence and linear dichroism peaks in the UV region at room temperature. To investigate the origin of the significant optical anisotropy, single crystals of Bi2-xPbxSr2CaCu2O8+δ with different lead contents (x = 0, 0.4, and 0.6) were grown using the floating zone method, and the wavelength dependencies of linear birefringence and linear dichroism along the c axis were measured. The insights gained into the optical anisotropy of Bi2-xPbxSr2CaCu2O8+δ from this study are significant for discussing its origin of the mechanism of high-Tc superconductivity.

Reconciling scaling of the optical conductivity of cuprate superconductors with Planckian resistivity and specific heat

Materials tuned to a quantum critical point display universal scaling properties as a function of temperature T and frequency ω. A long-standing puzzle regarding cuprate superconductors has been the observed power-law dependence of optical conductivity with an exponent smaller than one, in contrast to T-linear dependence of the resistivity and ω-linear dependence of the optical scattering rate. Here, we present and analyze resistivity and optical conductivity of La_2-xSr_xCuO₄ with x = 0.24. We demonstrate ℏω/k_BT scaling of the optical data over a wide range of frequency and temperature, T-linear resistivity, and optical effective mass proportional to [Formula: see text] corroborating previous specific heat experiments. We show that a T, ω-linear scaling Ansatz for the inelastic scattering rate leads to a unified theoretical description of the experimental data, including the power-law of the optical conductivity. This theoretical framework provides new opportunities for describing the unique properties of quantum critical matter.

Hidden Fermi liquid: self-consistent theory for the normal state of high-Tc superconductors

Hidden Fermi liquid theory explicitly accounts for the effects of Gutzwiller projection in the t-J Hamiltonian, widely believed to contain the essential physics of the high-T(c) superconductors. We derive expressions for the entire "strange metal," normal state relating angle-resolved photoemission, resistivity, Hall angle, and by generalizing the formalism to include the Fermi surface topology-angle-dependent magnetoresistance. We show this theory to be the first self-consistent description for the normal state of the cuprates based on transparent, fundamental assumptions. Our well-defined formalism also serves as a guide for further experimental confirmation.

Hidden Fermi liquid; the moral: a good effective low-energy theory is worth all of Monte Carlo with Las Vegas thrown in

We present a formalism for dealing directly with the effects of the Gutzwiller projection implicit in the t-J model which is widely believed to underlie the phenomenology of the high-T(c) cuprates. We suggest that a true Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer condensation from a Fermi liquid state takes place, but in the unphysical space prior to projection. At low doping, however, instead of a hidden Fermi liquid one gets a 'hidden' non-superconducting resonating valence bond state which develops hole pockets upon doping. The theory which results upon projection does not follow conventional rules of diagram theory and in fact in the normal state is a Z = 0 non-Fermi liquid. Anomalous properties of the 'strange metal' normal state are predicted and compared against experimental findings.

Quantum critical behaviour in a high-Tc superconductor

Quantum criticality is associated with a system composed of a nearly infinite number of interacting quantum degrees of freedom at zero temperature, and it implies that the system looks on average the same regardless of the time- and length scale on which it is observed. Electrons on the atomic scale do not exhibit such symmetry, which can only be generated as a collective phenomenon through the interactions between a large number of electrons. In materials with strong electron correlations a quantum phase transition at zero temperature can occur, and a quantum critical state has been predicted, which manifests itself through universal power-law behaviours of the response functions. Candidates have been found both in heavy-fermion systems and in the high-transition temperature (high-T(c)) copper oxide superconductors, but the reality and the physical nature of such a phase transition are still debated. Here we report a universal behaviour that is characteristic of the quantum critical region. We demonstrate that the experimentally measured phase angle agrees precisely with the exponent of the optical conductivity. This points towards a quantum phase transition of an unconventional kind in the high-T(c) superconductors.

Systematic (63)Cu NQR and (89)Y NMR study of spin dynamics in Y(1-z)Ca(z)Ba(2)Cu(3)O(y) across the superconductor-insulator boundary

We demonstrate that the spin dynamics in underdoped Y(1-z)Ca(z)Ba(2)Cu(3)O(y) for y approximately equal to 6.0 exhibit qualitatively the same behavior to underdoped La(2-x)Sr(x)CuO(4) for an equal amount of hole concentration p = z/2 = x< or =0.11. However, a spin gap appears as more holes are doped into the CuO(2) plane by increasing the oxygen concentration to y approximately equal to 6.5 for a fixed value of Ca concentration z. Our results also suggest that Ca doping causes disorder effects that enhance the low frequency spin fluctuations.

Anisotropic optical spectra of PrBa2Cu4O8: possible Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid response of the quasi-one-dimensional metallic CuO double chains

The optical spectra of PrBa2Cu4O8 show large in-plane anisotropy. For the a polarization (E perpendicular chain), the spectrum is characterized by a gap of 1.4 eV, indicating the charge-transfer insulating nature of the CuO2 planes. For the metallic chain direction (E // b), the spectrum deviates from a simple Drude response; reflectivity R(b)(omega) shows a sharp edge at approximately 1 eV but it also shows a dip at approximately 15 meV, which splits the conductivity spectrum into two parts--a zero-energy mode with small weight and a pronounced 40 meV mode. These features are discussed in terms of a Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid in a doped 1D Mott insulator and compared with 1D Bechgaard salts.

Low-frequency crossover of the fractional power-Law conductivity in SrRuO3

We combine the results of terahertz time-domain spectroscopy with far-infrared transmission and reflectivity to obtain the conductivity of SrRuO3 over an unprecedented continuous range in frequency, allowing us to characterize the approach to zero frequency as a function of temperature. We show that the conductivity follows a simple phenomenological form, with an analytic structure fundamentally different from that predicted by the standard theory of metals.

Nearly singular magnetic fluctuations in the normal state of a high-Tc cuprate superconductor

Polarized and unpolarized neutron scattering was used to measure the wave vector- and frequency-dependent magnetic fluctuations in the normal state (from the superconducting transition temperature, Tc = 35 kelvin, up to 350 kelvin) of single crystals of La1.86Sr0.14CuO4. The peaks that dominate the fluctuations have amplitudes that decrease as T-2 and widths that increase in proportion to the thermal energy, kBT (where kB is Boltzmann's constant), and energy transfer added in quadrature. The nearly singular fluctuations are consistent with a nearby quantum critical point.