2020/10/01 by M.-S. Nam, Nam, Moon-Sun, Arzhang Ardavan +1
Materials Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Condensed Matter Physics #FOS: Physical sciences #Magnetic and transport properties of perovskites and related materials #Physics of Superconductivity and Magnetism #Strongly Correlated Electrons (cond-mat.str-el) #Superconductivity (cond-mat.supr-con)
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2010.00572
openalex publication_date 2020/10/01 · openalex created_date 2020/10/08 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Since their discovery three decades ago it has emerged that the physics of high-Tc cuprate superconductors is characterised by multiple temperature scales, and a phenomenology that deviates significantly from the conventional paradigm of superconductivity. Below the "pseudogap" temperature, T^*, a range of experiments indicate a reduction in the density of states. Lower in temperature, Tc marks the onset of a bulk zero-resistance state. Intermediate between these, numerous other temperature boundaries and cross-overs have been identified, often postulated to be associated with fluctuations of some kind. However, for the most part there is little consensus either over their definitions or the physical mechanisms at play. One of these temperature scales is the Nernst onset temperature, Tonset, below which thermoelectric phenomena characteristic of superconductivity are observed. Depending on the material, the difference between Tonset and Tc ranges from almost nothing to over 100K. In this paper, we identify Tonset from published experimental data according to a consistent definition; this reveals a remarkable consistency of behaviour across the whole high-Tc family, despite the appreciable variations in other parameters. Our analysis suggests that in the cuprates there is an inherent limit to Tc ∼ 135K. We compare this behaviour with other strongly-correlated superconductors and propose a unified picture of superconducting fluctuations close to the Mott state.