2002/09/16 by T. Timusk, C. C. Homes · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Condensed Matter Physics #Physics of Superconductivity and Magnetism #Rare-earth and actinide compounds #cond-mat.supr-con
paper · pdf · doi:10.1016/s0038-1098(02)00666-x
published as Solid State Commun. 126, 63 (2003). · 7 pages, 5 embedded EPS figures
arxiv created 2002/09/16 · openalex publication_date 2003/03/25 · arxiv updated 2009/11/30 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
We discuss the peak at 400 cm-1, which is seen in c-axis conductivity spectra of underdoped high temperature superconductors. The model of van der Marel and Munzar, where the peak is the result of a transverse plasmon arising from a low frequency conductivity mode between the closely spaced planes, fits our data well. Within the model we find that the temperature dependence of the peak amplitude is controlled by in-plane scattering processes. The temperature range where the mode can be seen coincides with Ts, the spin gap temperature, which is lower than T*, the pseudogap temperature. As a function of temperature, the amplitude of the mode tracks the amplitude of the 41 meV neutron resonance and the spin lattice relaxation time, suggesting to us that the mode is controlled by magnetic processes and not by superconducting fluctuations which have temperature scale much closer to Tc, the superconducting transition temperature.