The inelastic x-ray scattering spectrum for phonons of $Δ_{1}$-symmetry including the CuO bond-stretching phonon dispersion is analyzed by a Lorentz fit in HgBa$_{2}$CuO$_{4}$ and Bi$_{2}$Sr$_{2}$CuO$_{6}$, respectively, using recently calculated phonon frequencies as input parameters. The resulting mode frequencies of the fit are almost all in good agreement with the calculated data. An exception is the second highest $Δ_{1}$-branch compromising the bond-stretching modes which disagrees in both compounds with the calculations. This branch unlike the calculations shows an anomalous softening with a minimum around the wavevector $\vc{q}=\frac{2π}{a}(0.25, 0, 0)$. Such a disparity with the calculated results, that are based on the assumption of an undisturbed translation- and point group invariant electronic structure of the CuO plane, indicates some {\it static} charge inhomogenities in the measured probes. Most likely these will be charge stripes along the CuO bonds which have the strongest coupling to certain longitudinal bond-stretching modes that in turn selfconsistently induce corresponding {\it dynamic} charge inhomogenities. The symmetry breaking by the mix of dynamic and static charge inhomogenities can lead to a reconstruction of the Fermi surface into small pockets.
The increased transmission, observed in the EXAFS region of their X-ray absorption spectra, as cuprate materials go through the superconducting transition temperature Tc is correlated with an increase in Abrikosov Vortex expulsion in zero magnetic field as the temperature T approaches Tc.
A large body of spectroscopic data on the cuprate high temperature superconductors (CHTSC) is reviewed in order to determine their order parameter. ASJ, INS, B2g Raman spectra, optical data, NIS "dips", ARPES "dips" and ARPES "kinks" all show the same excitation energy (40 meV for OP95 systems), proportional to the superconducting transition temperature, and it is therefore identified with the order parameter.
Using electron-phonon mechanism, we explains very well the spatial anti-orrelation between the energy-gap and the energy of phonon mode for cuprate superconductor found in d^2I/dV^2 spectrum by STM measurements [Jinho Lee, et.al Nature {\bf 442},546 (2006)], which is the direct effect of a relation $M<ω^{2}>λ=const$. We calculate T$_{C}$ maps on $λ-Ω_{P}$ plane which help us understanding the relation M<ω^{2}>λ=const$ and the superconductivity of superconductors.
The aim of the present comment is to provoke the performance of simple additional measurements at Tc which, after a professional experimental data processing, will reveal an important quantitative information concerning the GL parameters and applicability of the GL theory for high-Tc superconductors in general. Confirmation of this would be crucial for the further studies of the fluctuation phenomena in superconductors.
Certain significant fallacies are involved in discussions of the high-Tc mechanism unsolved for over 30 years in cuprate superconductors. These fallacies are explored with the aim of unravelling this mechanism. Moreover, using polarised electronic Raman scattering in inhomogeneous underdoped cuprate superconductors, the intrinsic nonlinear Raman spectrum is obtained by subtracting the pseudogap characteristic of a nonlinear from the linear Raman spectrum measured in the B2g mode of the node area below the critical temperature. The intrinsic nonlinear behaviour implies the existence of the noda…
We consider the realistic case of a superconductor with a nonzero density of elastic scatterers, so that the normal state conductivity is finite. The quantum superconductor-metal (QSM) transition can then be tuned by varying either the attractive electron-electron interaction, the quenched disorder, or the applied magnetic field. We explore the consistency of the associated scaling relations, Tc ~ 1/lamda(0) ~ gap(0) ~ 1/gsi(0) ~ Hc2(0)^-0.5 and Tc(H) ~ 1/Lamda(0,H) ~ gap(0,h) ~ (Hc2(0)-H)^ 1/2, valid for all dimensions D > 2, with experimental data, in Al, C doped MgB2 and overdoped cuprates.
The heirarchical mean-field theory of elastic networks, originally developed by Maxwell to discuss the stability of scaffolds, and recently applied to atomic networks by Phillips and Thorpe, explains the phase diagrams and remarkable superconductive properties of cuprates as the result of giant electron-phonon interactions in a marginally unstable mechanical network. The overall cuprate networks are fragile (floppy), as shown quantitatively (with an accuracy ~1 percent), and without adjustable parameters, by comparison with stabilities of generically similar network glasses, and are stabilized…
We review various isotope effects in the high-T_c cuprate superconductors to assess the role of the electron-phonon interaction in the basic physics of these materials. Of particular interest are the unconventional isotope effects on the supercarrier mass, on the charge-stripe formation temperature, on the pseudogap formation temperature, on the EPR linewidth, on the spin-glass freezing temperature, and on the antiferromagnetic ordering temperature. The observed unconventional isotope effects strongly suggest that lattice vibrations play an important role in the microscopic pairing mechanism o…
Heterostructures consisting of a cuprate superconductor YBa2Cu3O7x and a ruthenate/manganite (SrRuO3/La0.7Sr0.3MnO3) spin valve have been studied by SQUID magnetometry, ferromagnetic resonances and neutron reflectometry. It was shown that due to the influence of magnetic proximity effect a magnetic moment is induced in the superconducting part of heterostructure and at the same time the magnetic moment is suppressed in the ferromagnetic spin valve. The experimental value of magnetization induced in the superconductor has the same order of magnitude with the calculations based on the induced ma…
Structural compliance is the ability of a crystal structure to accommodate variations in local atomic bond-lengths without incurring large strain energies. We show that the structural compliance of cuprates is relatively small, so that short, highly doped, Cu-O-Cu bonds in stripes are subject to a tensile misfit strain. We develop a model to describe the effect of misfit strain on charge ordering in the copper oxygen planes of oxide materials and illustrate some of the low energy stripe nanostructures that can result.
From recent Hall effect measurements and angle-resolved photo-emission spectroscopy the interesting picture emerges of co-existing hole- and electron-like quasiparticle bands, both in electron- and hole-doped superconducting cuprates. We reflect on the idea that bosonic electron-hole pairs may be formed in the cuprates and on the possibility that these pairs undergo Bose-Einstein condensation. The relevance to high-Tc superconductivity in the cuprates will be discussed.
Within the framework of the kinetic energy driven superconducting mechanism, the doping dependence of the electromagnetic response in the electron-doped cuprate superconductors is studied. It is shown that although there is an electron-hole asymmetry in the phase diagram, the electromagnetic response in the electron-doped cuprate superconductors is similar to that observed in the hole-doped cuprate superconductors. The superfluid density depends linearly on temperature, except for the strong deviation from the linear characteristics at the extremely low temperatures.
The order parameter in superconductivity of cuprates is investigated in the framework of the Bogoliubov theory. By using a simplifying assumption about the electronic states, it is predicted an effective critical temperature Tc* > Tc associated to the coherent gap D0. A connection between D0 and the antinodal pseudogap DPG is proposed allowing for a comprehensive picture of the main experimental features of cuprate superconductors.
The vortex transport entropy in the mixed state of the cuprate superconductors YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7-δ}$ and Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CaCu$_2$O$_{8+x}$ at the maximum Nernst or Ettingshausen signal below $T_c$ is discussed. The vortex transport entropy per CuO$_2$ double layer in the cuprate epitaxial films is found to be close to the Boltzmann constant.
We study the lowest energy state in the CuO$_2$ plane of cuprate superconductors, related to the vibration that does not involve distortions of constituent units of the plane, the Rigid Unit Mode (RUM). We discuss the correlated motion in the plane due to RUM on temperature decrease, and possible relevance of this phonon for superconductivity.
In order to explore the reason why the single-layered cuprates, La$_{2-x}$(Sr/Ba)$_x$CuO$_4$ ($T_c\simeq$ 40K) and HgBa$_2$CuO$_{4+δ}$ ($T_c\simeq$ 90K), have such a significant difference in $T_c$, we study a two-orbital model that incorporates the $d_{z^2}$ orbital on top of the $d_{x^2-y^2}$ orbital. It is found, with the fluctuation exchange approximation, that the $d_{z^2}$ orbital contribution to the Fermi surface, which is stronger in the La system, works against d-wave superconductivity, thereby dominating over the effect of the Fermi surface shape. The result resolves the long-standin…
Short review of the topical comprehension of Cuprate High-Temperature Superconductors, featuring structural and metallurgical aspects that optimize their superconducting properties with respect to technical applications.
The formula frequently used to describe the c-axis infrared response of the coupled electron-phonon system of bilayer cuprate superconductors and providing important insights into the physics of these materials has been originally obtained at the level of the phenomenological multilayer model. Here we derive it using diagrammatic perturbation theory.
We propose a microscopic explanation of the pseudogap features discovered in the normal state specific heat and magnetic susceptibility of cuprates. In the framework of the bipolaron theory of high-Tc superconductors we explain the magnitude of the carrier specific heat and susceptibility as well as their universal scaling with temperature over a wide range of doping.
Anisotropy, thermal and quantum fluctuations and their dependence on dopant concentration appear to be present in all cuprate superconductors, interwoven with the microscopic mechanisms responsible for superconductivity. Here we review anisotropy, in-plane and c-axis penetration depths, isotope effect and conductivity measurements to reassess the universal behavior of cuprates as revealed by the doping dependence of these phenomena and of the transition temperature.
We critically review recent and earlier results on isotope effects in cuprate superconductors and emphasize that the sample preparation and the isotope exchange and back exchange are crucial in understanding and interpreting the data. Only extremely careful preparation techniques yield reliable results and permit differentiation between real isotope effects and marginal ones. The former are substantial and highlight the lattice vibrational importance in cuprate superconductors.
When combining the BCS expression of Tc with a shear modulus constant model, we can demonstrate that Tc oscillates depending on the number of the cuprate planes and that it reaches its first maximum for three planes. This is in good agreement with experimental data and suggests that the electron- phonon coupling is essential to the superconductivity of the cuprates.
Phase-sensitive tests of pairing symmetry have provided strong evidence for predominantly d-wave pairing symmetry in both hole- and electron-doped high-Tc cuprate superconductors. Temperature dependent measurements in YBCO indicate that the d-wave pairing dominates, with little if any imaginary component, at all temperatures from 0.5K through Tc. In this article we review some of this evidence and discuss the implications of the universal d-wave pairing symmetry in the cuprates.
Using the scaling theory of quantum critical phenomena we present a detailed analysis of various superconducting properties of La$_{2-x}$Sr$_{x}$CuO$_{4}$, Y$_{0.8}$Ca$_{0.2}$-123, Tl-1212 and Tl-2201. Our results include: the experimental data are fully consistent with a 2D insulator to superconductor (ISQ) transition in the underdoped limit. The quantum critical properties appear to be equivalent to those of a dirty 2D bosonic system with long range Coulomb interaction. Together with previous evidence, this transition appears to be a generic feature of cuprate superconductors. The 3D superco…
The electronic Raman response in the electron-doped cuprate superconductors is studied based on the $t$-$t'$-$J$ model. It is shown that although the domelike shape of the doping dependent peak energy in the $B_{2g}$ symmetry is a common feature for both electron-doped and hole-doped cuprate superconductors, there are pronounced deviations from a cubic response in the $B_{1g}$ channel and a linear response in the $B_{2g}$ channel for the electron-doped case in the low energy limit. It is also shown that these pronounced deviations are mainly caused by a nonmonotonic d-wave gap in the electron-…
The orbital component of the order parameter in the cuprate high-Tc cuprate superconductors is now well established, in large part because of phase sensitive tests. Although it would be desirable to use such tests on other unconventional superconductors, there are a number of favorable factors associated with the properties of the cuprates, and a number of technical advances, that were required for these tests to be successful. In this review I will describe the development of phase sensitive pairing symmetry tests using SQUID microscopy, underlining the factors favoring these experiments in t…
It is conjectured that the anomalous spin dynamics observed in the normal state of cuprate superconductors might find its origin in a nearly ordered spin system which is kept in motion by thermally meandering charged domain walls. `Temperature sets the scale' finds a natural explanation, while a crossover to a low temperature quantum domain wall fluid is implied.
We construct a 2-leg ladder model of an Fe-pnictide superconductor and discuss its properties and relationship with the familiar 2-leg cuprate model. Our results suggest that the underlying pairing mechanism for the Fe-pnictide superconductors is similar to that for the cuprates.
We study the effects of quantum vortex fluctuations in two-dimensional superconductors using a dual theory of vortices, and investigate the relevance to underdoped cuprates where the superconductor-insulator transition (SIT) is possibly driven by quantum vortex proliferation. We find that a broad enough phase fluctuation regime may exist for experimental observation of the quantum vortex fluctuations near SIT in underdoped cuprates. We propose that this scenario can be tested via pair-tunneling experiments which measure the characteristic resonances in the zero-temperature pair-field susceptib…
This article presents our perspective on STM measurements by Hoffman et al. (cond-mat/0201348) of the vortex lattice in BSCCO. We discuss implications of these measurements for various theories of the cuprate superconductors.
We present macroscopic experimental evidence for field-induced microscopic quantum fluctuations in different hole- and electron-type cuprate superconductors with varying doping levels and numbers of CuO$_2$ layers per unit cell. The significant suppression of the zero-temperature in-plane magnetic irreversibility field relative to the paramagnetic field in all cuprate superconductors suggests strong quantum fluctuations due to the proximity of the cuprates to quantum criticality.
Effective models are constructed for a newly discovered superconductor (Nd,Sr)NiO2, which has been considered as a possible nickelate analogue of the cuprates owing to the d9 electron configuration. Estimation of the effective interaction, which turns out to require a multiorbital model that takes account of all the orbitals involved on the Fermi surface, shows that the effective interactions are significantly larger than in the cuprates. A fluctuation exchange study for the model indicates that dx2-y2-wave superconductivity is likely to occur as in the cuprates, where the transition temperatu…
We show by means of the theory of the order parameter phase fluctuations that the temperature of "closing" (or "opening") of the gap (and pseudogap) in the electron spectra of superconductors with anisotropic order parameter takes place within a finite temperature range. Every Fourier-component of the order parameter has its own critical temperature.
We develop a theory of normal-metal - superconductor (NS) and superconductor - superconductor (SS) tunnelling in bosonic superconductors with strong attractive correlations taking into account coherence effects in single-particle excitation spectrum and disorder. The theory accounts for the existence of two energy scales, their temperature and doping dependencies, asymmetry and inhomogeneity of tunnelling spectra of underdoped cuprate superconductors.
The nodal $d_{x^2-y^2}$ superconducting gap is a hallmark of the cuprate high T$_c$ superconductors. Surprisingly recent angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy of deeply underdoped cuprates revealed a nodeless energy gap which is adhered to the Fermi surface. Importantly this phenomenon is observed for compounds across several different cuprate families. In this letter we propose an exciting possibility, namely the fully gapped state is a topological superconductor.
Since their experimental discovery in 1989, the electron-doped cuprate superconductors have presented both a major challenge and a major opportunity. The major challenge has been to determine whether these materials are fundamentally different from or essentially similar to their hole-doped counterparts; a major opportunity because answering this question would strongly constrain the possible explanations for what is the essential physics that leads to high temperature superconductivity in the cuprates, which is still not agreed upon. Here we argue that experimental results over the past 30 ye…
We outline the universal and finite temperature critical properties of the 3D-XY model, extended to anisotropic extreme type-II superconductors, as well as the universal quantum critical properties in 2D. On this basis we review: (i) the mounting evidence for 3D-XY behavior in optimally doped cuprate superconductors and the 3D to 2D crossover in the underdoped regime; (ii) the finite size limitations imposed by inhomogeneities; (iii) the experimental evidence for a 2D-XY quantum critical point in the underdoped limit, where the superconductor to insulator transition occurs; (iv) the emerging i…
A theory for electronic Raman scattering in the cuprate superconductors is presented with a specific emphasis on the polarization dependence of the spectra which can infer the symmetry of the energy gap. Signatures of the effects of disorder on the low frequency and low temperature behavior of the Raman spectra for different symmetry channels provide detailed information about the magnitude and the phase of the energy gap. Properties of the theory for finite T are discussed and compared to recent data concerning the doping dependence of the Raman spectra in cuprate superconductors, and remaini…
We propose two possible new compounds, Ba$_2$CuO$_2$Fe$_2$As$_2$ and K$_2$CuO$_2$Fe$_2$Se$_2$, which hybridize the building blocks of two high temperature superconductors, cuprates and iron-based superconductors. These compounds consist of square CuO$_2$ layers and antifluorite-type Fe$_2$X$_2$ (X=As,Se) layers separated by Ba/K. The calculations of binding energies and phonon spectrums indicate that they are dynamically stable, which ensures that they may be experimentally synthesized. The Fermi surfaces and electronic structures of the two compounds inherit the characteristics of both cuprat…
We have calculated the tunneling conductance of a superconductor-insulator-superconductor junction based on the polaron-bipolaron theory of superconductivity. The predicted incoherent hump features are in quantitative agreement with tunneling spectra of optimally doped Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+y and Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10+y. We further show that angle-resolved photoemission spectra of underdoped cuprates are consistent with the Bose-Einstein condensation of inter-site bipolarons and that the superconducting gap symmetry is d-wave, which is determined by the anomalous kinetic process rather than by the pairing i…
Within the kinetic energy driven superconducting mechanism, we study the interplay between superconductivity and the nodal and antinodal superconducting quasiparticle coherences in cuprate superconductors, and find the s-wave superconducting transition temperature is heavily suppressed by the antinodal superconducting quasiparticle coherence, while the d-wave superconducting transition temperature is enhanced, therefore the antinodal superconducting quasiparticle coherence plays a more crucial role in superconductivity of cuprate superconductors.
We propose a unified description of cuprate and iron-based superconductivity. Consistency with magnetic structure inferred from neutron scattering implies significant constraints on the symmetry of the pairing gap for the iron-based superconductors. We find that this unification requires the orbital pairing formfactors for the iron arsenides to differ fundamentally from those for cuprates at the microscopic level.
Impurity doping like Zn atoms in cuprates were systematically studied to provide important information on the pseudogap phase because this process substantially reduces $T_c$ without effect $T^*$. Despite many important results and advances, the normal phase of these superconductors is still subject of a great debate. We show that the observed Zn-doped data can be reproduced by constructing a nanoscale granular superconductor whose resistivity transition is achieved by Josephson coupling, what provides also a simple interpretation to the pseudogap phase.
This ``Perspective'' briefly reviews recent work showing that a class of organic superconductors have important similarities to the cuprate superconductors: (i) There is competition betweeen superconductivity and antiferromagnetism. (ii) Uncoventional metallic behavior is observed near the metal-insulator transition. A more detailed review and discussion of the appropriate strongly correlated electron model can be found in cond-mat/9802198.
Recent advances in the development of Josephson scanning tunneling spectroscopy (JSTS) have opened a new path for the exploration of unconventional superconductors. We demonstrate that the critical current, $I_c$, measured via JSTS, images the spatial form of the superconducting order parameter in $d_{x^2-y^2}$-wave superconductors around defects and in the Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov state. Moreover, we show that $I_c$ probes the existence of phase-incoherent superconducting correlations in the pseudo-gap region of the cuprate superconductors, thus providing unprecedented insight into it…
We investigate the issues of competing orders and quantum criticality in cuprate superconductors via experimental studies of the high-field thermodynamic phase diagrams and the quasiparticle tunneling spectroscopy. Our results suggest substantial field-induced quantum fluctuations in all cuprates investigated, and their correlation with quasiparticle spectra implies that both electron- (n-type) and hole-doped (p-type) cuprate superconductors are in close proximity to a quantum critical point that separates a pure superconducting (SC) phase from a phase consisting of coexisting SC and a competi…
We review the field of high temperature cuprate superconductors, with an emphasis on the nature of their electronic properties. After a general overview of experiment and theory, we concentrate on recent results obtained by angle resolved photoemission, inelastic neutron scattering, and optical conductivity, along with various proposed explanations for these results. We conclude by reviewing efforts which attempt to identify the energy savings involved in the formation of the superconducting ground state.
Enhancing the temperature at which superconductivity is observed is a long-standing objective for materials scientists. Recent tantalizing experiments suggest a possible route for achieving this.
The correlation between the charge-order wave vector Q_{CD} and second-neighbor hopping t' in cuprate superconductors is studied based on the t-t'-J model. It is shown that the magnitude of the charge-order wave vector Q_{CD} increases with the increase of t', and then the experimentally observed differences of the magnitudes of the charge-order wave vector Q_{CD} among the different families of cuprate superconductors at the same doping concentration can be attributed to the different values of t'.
The transport of heat and charge in the overdoped cuprate superconductor Tl_2Ba_2CuO_(6+delta) was measured down to low temperature. In the normal state, obtained by applying a magnetic field greater than the upper critical field, the Wiedemann-Franz law is verified to hold perfectly. In the superconducting state, a large residual linear term is observed in the thermal conductivity, in quantitative agreement with BCS theory for a d-wave superconductor. This is compelling evidence that the electrons in overdoped cuprates form a Fermi liquid, with no indication of spin-charge separation.
Within the spin-fermion model for cuprate superconductors, the influence of the intersite Coulomb interactions $V_2$ and $V_2'$ between holes located at the next-nearest-neighbor oxygen ions of CuO$_2$ plane on the implementation of the d_{x^2-y^2}-wave pairing is studied. It is shown that d-wave pairing can be suppressed only for unphysically large values of $V_2$ and $V_2'$.
We suggest a model for electronic structure of cuprate superconductors that makes it possible to describe evolution of this structure with the doping and provides a new explanation for a number of typical features of cuprates, including the pseudogap and the Fermi arcs. According to this model, the unique electronic structure of cuprates is favorable for the formation of two-atomic negative-U centers (NUCs) and realization of a peculiar mechanism of the electron-electron interaction.
Recent development in the physics of high-temperature superconductivity is reviewed, with special emphasis on the studies of the low-energy excitations of cuprate and iron-based superconductors. For cuprate superconductors, a phenomenology based on coexisting competing orders with superconductivity in the ground state of these doped Mott insulators is shown to provide a consistent account for a wide range of experimental findings. In the case of iron-based superconductors, studies of the low-energy excitations reveal interesting similarities and differences when compared with cuprate supercond…
We study a simple BCS-like model which describes unconventional superconductivity on the basis of an electron-electron attraction corresponding to the delta-shell potential: $U(r) = -g δ(r-r_0)$. It predicts a $T_c$ vs. doping behavior similar to that characteristic of the High-$T_c$ cuprates.
Quasiparticle tunneling spectra of both hole-doped (p-type) and electron-doped (n-type) cuprates are studied using a low-temperature scanning tunneling microscope. The results reveal that neither the pairing symmetry nor the pseudogap phenomenon is universal among all cuprates, and that the response of n-type cuprates to quantum impurities is drastically different from that of the p-type cuprates. The only ubiquitous features among all cuprates appear to be the strong electronic correlation and the nearest-neighbor antiferromagnetic Cu^{2+}-Cu^{2+} coupling in the CuO_2 planes.
The observation of the characteristic Kosterlitz-Thouless behavior requires the attaintment of the two dimensional limit where the correlation-length anisotropy, gamma=gsiab/gsic, diverges. Our findings strongly suggest that the failure of several experiments on films and single crystals to observe any trace of KT-behavior is attributable either to inhomogeneities or doping by means of chemical substitution.
We propose a weakly coupled two-band model with $d_{x^2-y^2}$ pairing symmetry to account for the anomalous temperature dependence of superfluid density $ρ_s$ in electron-doped cuprate superconductors. This model gives a unified explanation to the presence of a upward curvature in $ρ_s$ near $T_c$ and a weak temperature dependence of $ρ_s$ in low temperatures. Our work resolves a discrepancy in the interpretation of different experimental measurements and suggests that the pairing in electron-doped cuprates has predominately $d_{x^2-y^2}$ symmetry in the whole doping range.
We report the pressure effect in Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10+δ (Bi-2223) single crystal with a small amount of intergrowth of Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ (Bi-2212). Their superconducting transition temperatures Tcs showed a domelike shape as a function of pressure, which showed a good agreement with the general relation between the carrier concentration and Tc. Our experimental results indicate that high pressure can induce effective carrier doping into the multilayered high-Tc cuprate superconductor
