Doping dependence of the superconducting gap in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O{8 + delta}

Bi2Sr2CaCu2O{8 + \delta} crystals with varying hole concentrations (0.12 < p < 0.23) were studied to investigate the effects of doping on the symmetry and magnitude of the superconducting gap. Electronic Raman scattering experiments that sample regions of the Fermi surface near the diagonal (B_{2g}) and principal axes (B_{1g}) of the Brillouin Zone have been utilized. The frequency dependence of the Raman response function at low energies is found to be linear for B_{2g} and cubic for B_{1g} (T< T_c). The latter observations have led us to conclude that the doping dependence of the superconducting gap is consistent with d_{x^2-y^2} symmetry, for slightly underdoped and overdoped crystals. Studies of the pair-breaking peak found in the B_{1g} spectra demonstrate that the magnitude of the maximum gap decreases monotonically with increasing hole doping, for p > 0.12. Based on the magnitude of the B_{1g} renormalization, it is found that the number of quasiparticles participating in pairing increases monotonically with increased doping. On the other hand, the B_{2g} spectra show a weak "pair-breaking peak" that follows a parabolic-like dependence on hole concentration, for 0.12 < p < 0.23.Comment: 9 pages REvTex document including 8 eps figures; new table II; changes to Fig. 5 and tex

Nonresonant inelastic light scattering in the Hubbard model

Inelastic light scattering from electrons is a symmetry-selective probe of the charge dynamics within correlated materials. Many measurements have been made on correlated insulators, and recent exact solutions in large dimensions explain a number of anomalous features found in experiments. Here we focus on the correlated metal, as described by the Hubbard model away from half filling. We can determine the B1g Raman response and the inelastic X-ray scattering along the Brillouin zone diagonal exactly in the large dimensional limit. We find a number of interesting features in the light scattering response which should be able to be seen in correlated metals such as the heavy fermions.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, typeset with ReVTe

Raman Scattering versus Infrared Conductivity: Evidence for one-dimensional Conduction in La_{2-x}Sr_{x}CuO_{4}

Raman and Infrared (IR) spectra of an underdoped La_{1.90}Sr_{0.10}CuO_{4} single crystal have been measured as a function of temperature. Both techniques provide unconventional low-energy spectra. The IR conductivity exhibits features peaked at finite frequencies which do not have a counterpart in the Raman response. Below approximately 100 K a transfer of both Raman and IR spectral weight towards lower energies is found and a new component in the Raman response builds up being characterized by a very long lifetime of electrons propagating along the Cu-O bonds.Comment: 4 pages, 3 eps figure

Hole concentration and phonon renormalization in Ca-doped YBa_2Cu_3O_y (6.76 < y < 7.00)

In order to access the overdoped regime of the YBa_2Cu_3O_y phase diagram, 2% Ca is substituted for Y in YBa_2Cu_3O_y (y = 7.00,6.93,6.88,6.76). Raman scattering studies have been carried out on these four single crystals. Measurements of the superconductivity-induced renormalization in frequency (Delta \omega) and linewidth (\Delta 2\gamma) of the 340 cm^{-1} B_{1g} phonon demonstrate that the magnitude of the renormalization is directly related to the hole concentration (p), and not simply the oxygen content. The changes in \Delta \omega with p imply that the superconducting gap (\Delta_{max}) decreases monotonically with increasing hole concentration in the overdoped regime, and \Delta \omega falls to zero in the underdoped regime. The linewidth renormalization \Delta 2\gamma is negative in the underdoped regime, crossing over at optimal doping to a positive value in the overdoped state.Comment: 18 pages; 5 figures; submitted to Phys. Rev. B Oct. 24, 2002 (BX8292

Carrier relaxation, pseudogap, and superconducting gap in high-Tc cuprates: A Raman scattering study

We describe results of electronic Raman-scattering experiments in differently doped single crystals of Y-123 and Bi-2212. The comparison of AF insulating and metallic samples suggests that at least the low-energy part of the spectra originates predominantly from excitations of free carriers. We therefore propose an analysis of the data in terms of a memory function approach. Dynamical scattering rates and mass-enhancement factors for the carriers are obtained. In B2g symmetry the Raman data compare well to the results obtained from ordinary and optical transport. For underdoped materials the dc scattering rates in B1g symmetry become temperature independent and considerably larger than in B2g symmetry. This increasing anisotropy is accompanied by a loss of spectral weight in B2g symmetry in the range between the superconducting transition at Tc and a characteristic temperature T* of order room temperature which compares well with the pseudogap temperature found in other experiments. The energy range affected by the pseudogap is doping and temperature independent. The integrated spectral loss is approximately 25% in underdoped samples and becomes much weaker towards higher carrier concentration. In underdoped samples, superconductivity related features in the spectra can be observed only in B2g symmetry. The peak frequencies scale with Tc. We do not find a direct relation between the pseudogap and the superconducting gap.Comment: RevTeX, 21 pages, 24 gif figures. For PostScript with embedded eps figures, see http://www.wmi.badw-muenchen.de/~opel/k2.htm