The coherent {\it d}-wave superconducting gap in underdoped La2−x_{2-x}Srx_{x}CuO4_4 as studied by angle-resolved photoemission

We present angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) data on moderately underdoped La$_{1.855}$Sr$_{0.145}$CuO$_4$ at temperatures below and above the superconducting transition temperature. Unlike previous studies of this material, we observe sharp spectral peaks along the entire underlying Fermi surface in the superconducting state. These peaks trace out an energy gap that follows a simple {\it d}-wave form, with a maximum superconducting gap of 14 meV. Our results are consistent with a single gap picture for the cuprates. Furthermore our data on the even more underdoped sample La$_{1.895}$Sr$_{0.105}$CuO$_4$ also show sharp spectral peaks, even at the antinode, with a maximum superconducting gap of 26 meV.Comment: Accepted by Phys. Rev. Let

Hot Spots on the Fermi Surface of Bi2212: Stripes versus Superstructure

In a recent paper Saini et al. have reported evidence for a pseudogap around (pi,0) at room temperature in the optimally doped superconductor Bi2212. This result is in contradiction with previous ARPES measurements. Furthermore they observed at certain points on the Fermi surface hot spots of high spectral intensity which they relate to the existence of stripes in the CuO planes. They also claim to have identified a new electronic band along Gamma-M1 whose one dimensional character provides further evidence for stripes. We demonstrate in this Comment that all the measured features can be simply understood by correctly considering the superstructure (umklapp) and shadow bands which occur in Bi2212.Comment: 1 page, revtex, 1 encapsulated postscript figure (color

Electronic structure of strongly correlated d-wave superconductors

We study the electronic structure of a strongly correlated d-wave superconducting state. Combining a renormalized mean field theory with direct calculation of matrix elements, we obtain explicit analytical results for the nodal Fermi velocity, v_F, the Fermi wave vector, k_F, and the momentum distribution, n_k, as a function of hole doping in a Gutzwiller projected d-wave superconductor. We calculate the energy dispersion, E_k, and spectral weight of the Gutzwiller-Bogoliubov quasiparticles, and find that the spectral weight associated with the quasiparticle excitation at the antinodal point shows a non monotonic behavior as a function of doping. Results are compared to angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) of the high temperature superconductors.Comment: final version, comparison to experiments added, 4+ pages, 4 figure

Doped carrier formulation of the t-J model: the projection constraint and the effective Kondo-Heisenberg lattice representation

We show that the recently proposed doped carrier Hamiltonian formulation of the t-J model should be complemented with the constraint that projects out the unphysical states. With this new important ingredient, the previously used and seemingly different spin-fermion representations of the t-J model are shown to be gauge related to each other. This new constraint can be treated in a controlled way close to half-filling suggesting that the doped carrier representation provides an appropriate theoretical framework to address the t-J model in this region. This constraint also suggests that the t-J model can be mapped onto a Kondo-Heisenberg lattice model. Such a mapping highlights important physical similarities between the quasi two-dimensional heavy fermions and the high-T$_c$ superconductors. Finally we discuss the physical implications of our model representation relating in particular the small versus large Fermi surface crossover to the closure of the lattice spin gap.Comment: corrected and enlarged versio

High Tc Superconductors -- A Variational Theory of the Superconducting State

We use a variational approach to gain insight into the strongly correlated d-wave superconducting state of the high Tc cuprates at T=0. We show that strong correlations lead to qualitatively different trends in pairing and phase coherence: the pairing scale decreases monotonically with hole doping while the SC order parameter shows a non-monotonic dome. We obtain detailed results for the doping-dependence of a large number of experimentally observable quantities, including the chemical potential, coherence length, momentum distribution, nodal quasiparticle weight and dispersion, incoherent features in photoemission spectra, optical spectral weight and superfluid density. Most of our results are in remarkable quantitative agreement with existing data and some of our predictions, first reported in Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 87}, 217002 (2001), have been recently verified.Comment: (Minor revisions, 1 figure added, version to appear in PRB) 23 RevTeX pages, 11 eps figs, long version of cond-mat/0101121, contains detailed comparisons with experiments, analytical insights, technical aspects of the calculation, and comparison with slave boson MF

Evolution of the Fermi surface with carrier concentration in Bi_2Sr_2CaCu_2O_{8+\delta}

We show, by use of angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, that underdoped Bi_2Sr_2CaCu_2O_{8+\delta} appears to have a large Fermi surface centered at (\pi,\pi), even for samples with a T_c as low as 15 K. No clear evidence of a Fermi surface pocket around (\pi/2,\pi/2) has been found. These conclusions are based on a determination of the minimum gap locus in the pseudogap regime T_c < T < T^*, which is found to coincide with the locus of gapless excitations in momentum space (Fermi surface) determined above T^*. These results suggest that the pseudogap is more likely of precursor pairing rather than magnetic origin.Comment: 4 pages, revtex, 4 postscript color figure

Photoelectron Escape Depth and Inelastic Secondaries in High Temperature Superconductors

We calculate the photoelectron escape depth in the high temperature superconductor Bi2212 by use of electron energy-loss spectroscopy data. We find that the escape depth is only 3 Ang. for photon energies typically used in angle resolved photoemission measurements. We then use this to estimate the number of inelastic secondaries, and find this to be quite small near the Fermi energy. This implies that the large background seen near the Fermi energy in photoemission measurements is of some other origin.Comment: 2 pages, revtex, 3 encapsulated postscript figure

Bulk and surface low-energy excitations in YBa2Cu3O7-d studied by high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy

We have performed high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy on YBa2Cu3O7-delta (Y123; delta = 0.06; Tc = 92 K). By accurately determining the Fermi surface and energy band dispersion, we solve long-standing controversial issues as to the anomalous electronic states of Y-based high-Tc cuprates. We unambiguously identified surface-bilayer-derived bonding and antibonding bands, together with their bulk counterparts. The surface bands are highly overdoped (hole concentration x = 0.29), showing no evidence for the gap opening or the dispersion anomaly in the antinodal region, while the bulk bands show a clear dx2-y2-wave superconducting gap and the Bogoliubov quasiparticle-like behavior with a characteristic energy scale of 50-60 meV indicative of a strong electron-boson coupling in the superconducting state. All these results suggest that the metallic and superconducting states coexist at the adjacent bilayer of Y123 surface.Comment: Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

Tachyon warm inflationary universe models

Warm inflationary universe models in a tachyon field theory are studied. General conditions required for these models to be realizable are derived and discussed. We describe scalar perturbations (in the longitudinal gauge) and tensor perturbations for these scenarios. We develop our models for a constant dissipation parameter $\Gamma$ in one case and one dependent on $\phi$ in the other case. We have been successful in describing such of inflationary universe models. We use recent astronomical observations for constraining the parameters appearing in our model. Also, our results are compared with their analogous found in the cool inflationary case.Comment: 21 pages, Accepted by JCA