31 research outputs found
Approximate tight-binding sum rule for the superconductivity related change of c-axis kinetic energy in multilayer cuprate superconductors
We present an extension of the c-axis tight-binding sum rule discussed by
Chakravarty, Kee, and Abrahams [Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 2366 (1999)] that applies
to multilayer high-Tc cuprate superconductors (HTCS) and use it to
estimate--from available infrared data--the change below Tc of the c-axis
kinetic energy, Hc, in YBa2Cu3O(7-delta) (delta=0.45,0.25,0.07), Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8,
and Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10. In all these compounds Hc decreases below Tc and except
for Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 the change of Hc is of the same order of magnitude as the
condensation energy. This observation supports the hypothesis that in
multilayer HTCS superconductivity is considerably amplified by the interlayer
tunnelling mechanism.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figure
C-axis optical properties of high Tc cuprates
A review is given of the experimental status of the interlayer coupling
energy in the cuprates. A second c-axis plasmon is identified in the double
layer compound Y123 for various dopings. The anomalous transport properties
along the c-direction and in the planar directions are compared to model
calculations based on strongly anisotropic scattering. An excellent description
of the optical data at optimal doping is obtained if an anomalously large
anisotropy of the scattering rate between cold spots and hot spots is assumed.
This raises questions as to the physical meaning of these parameters.Comment: 4 pages, LaTeX, espcrc2.sty, 3 figures in encapsulated postscript
forma
Condensation Energy and High Tc Superconductivity
From an analysis of the specific heat of one of the cuprate superconductors
it is shown, that even if a large part of the experimental specific heat
associated with the superconducting phase transition is due to fluctuations,
this part must be counted when one tries to extract the condensation energy
from the data. Previous work by Chakravarty, Kee and Abrahams, where the
fluctuation part was subtracted, has resulted in an incorrect estimation of the
condensation energy.Comment: 4 pages, 5 encapsulated Postscript figures, uses ReVTeX.st
Phase-fluctuation induced reduction of the kinetic energy at the superconducting transition
Recent reflectivity measurements provide evidence for a "violation" of the
in-plane optical integral in the underdoped high-T_c compound
Bi_2Sr_2CaCu_2O_{8+\delta} up to frequencies much higher than expected by
standard BCS theory. The sum rule violation may be related to a loss of
in-plane kinetic energy at the superconducting transition. Here, we show that a
model based on phase fluctuations of the superconducting order parameter can
account for this change of in-plane kinetic energy at T_c. The change is due to
a transition from a phase-incoherent Cooper-pair motion in the pseudogap regime
above T_c to a phase-coherent motion at T_c.Comment: 5 pages, 3 eps-figure
Quasiparticle undressing in a dynamic Hubbard model: exact diagonalization study
Dynamic Hubbard models have been proposed as extensions of the conventional
Hubbard model to describe the orbital relaxation that occurs upon double
occupancy of an atomic orbital. These models give rise to pairing of holes and
superconductivity in certain parameter ranges. Here we explore the changes in
carrier effective mass and quasiparticle weight and in one- and two-particle
spectral functions that occur in a dynamic Hubbard model upon pairing, by exact
diagonalization of small systems. It is found that pairing is associated with
lowering of effective mass and increase of quasiparticle weight, manifested in
transfer of spectral weight from high to low frequencies in one- and
two-particle spectral functions. This 'undressing' phenomenology resembles
observations in transport, photoemission and optical experiments in high T_c
cuprates. This behavior is contrasted with that of a conventional electron-hole
symmetric Holstein-like model with attractive on-site interaction, where
pairing is associated with 'dressing' instead of 'undressing'
Electromotive forces and the Meissner effect puzzle
In a voltaic cell, positive (negative) ions flow from the low (high)
potential electrode to the high (low) potential electrode, driven by an
`electromotive force' which points in opposite direction and overcomes the
electric force. Similarly in a superconductor charge flows in direction
opposite to that dictated by the Faraday electric field as the magnetic field
is expelled in the Meissner effect. The puzzle is the same in both cases: what
drives electric charges against electromagnetic forces? I propose that the
answer is also the same in both cases: kinetic energy lowering, or `quantum
pressure'
Electronic dynamic Hubbard model: exact diagonalization study
A model to describe electronic correlations in energy bands is considered.
The model is a generalization of the conventional Hubbard model that allows for
the fact that the wavefunction for two electrons occupying the same Wannier
orbital is different from the product of single electron wavefunctions. We
diagonalize the Hamiltonian exactly on a four-site cluster and study its
properties as function of band filling. The quasiparticle weight is found to
decrease and the quasiparticle effective mass to increase as the electronic
band filling increases, and spectral weight in one- and two-particle spectral
functions is transfered from low to high frequencies as the band filling
increases. Quasiparticles at the Fermi energy are found to be more 'dressed'
when the Fermi level is in the upper half of the band (hole carriers) than when
it is in the lower half of the band (electron carriers). The effective
interaction between carriers is found to be strongly dependent on band filling
becoming less repulsive as the band filling increases, and attractive near the
top of the band in certain parameter ranges. The effective interaction is most
attractive when the single hole carriers are most heavily dressed, and in the
parameter regime where the effective interaction is attractive, hole carriers
are found to 'undress', hence become more like electrons, when they pair. It is
proposed that these are generic properties of electronic energy bands in solids
that reflect a fundamental electron-hole asymmetry of condensed matter. The
relation of these results to the understanding of superconductivity in solids
is discussed.Comment: Small changes following referee's comment