No Arabic abstract
A random lattice model with dilute interlayer bonds of density $p$ is proposed to describe the underdoped high--$T_c$ cuprates. We show analytically via an appropriate perturbation expansion and verify independently by numerical scaling of the conductance that for any finite $p$ the states remain extended in all directions, despite the presence of interlayer disorder. However, the obtained electronic transport is highly anisotropic with violent conductance fluctuations occuring in the layering direction, which can be responsible for the experimentally observed metallic in-plane and semiconducting out-of-plane resistivity of the cuprates.
We present a Boltzmann equation analysis of the transport properties of a model of electrons with a lifetime which is short everywhere except near the Brillouin zone diagonals. The anomalous lifetime is directly implied by photoemission and c-axis transport data. We find quantitative agreement between calculations and ac and dc longitudinal and Hall resistivity, but the predicted longitudinal magnetoresistance disagrees with experiment. A possible microscopic origin of the anomalous lifetime is discussed
The macroscopic transport properties in a disordered potential, namely diffusion and weak/strong localization, closely depend on the microscopic and statistical properties of the disorder itself. This dependence is rich of counter-intuitive consequences. It can be particularly exploited in matter wave experiments, where the disordered potential can be tailored and controlled, and anisotropies are naturally present. In this work, we apply a perturbative microscopic transport theory and the self-consistent theory of Anderson localization to study the transport properties of ultracold atoms in anisotropic 2D and 3D speckle potentials. In particular, we discuss the anisotropy of single-scattering, diffusion and localization. We also calculate a disorder-induced shift of the energy states and propose a method to include it, which amounts to renormalize energies in the standard on-shell approximation. We show that the renormalization of energies strongly affects the prediction for the 3D localization threshold (mobility edge). We illustrate the theoretical findings with examples which are revelant for current matter wave experiments, where the disorder is created with a laser speckle. This paper provides a guideline for future experiments aiming at the precise location of the 3D mobility edge and study of anisotropic diffusion and localization effects in 2D and 3D.
In this article, I review progress towards an understanding of the normal state (in-plane) transport properties of high-$T_c$ cuprates in the light of recent developments in both spectroscopic and transport measurement techniques. Against a backdrop of mounting evidence for anisotropic single-particle lifetimes in cuprate superconductors, new results have emerged that advocate similar momentum dependence in the transport decay rate $Gamma$({bf k}). In addition, enhancement of the energy scale (up to the bare bandwidth) over which spectroscopic information on the quasiparticle response can be obtained has led to the discovery of new, unforeseen features that surprisingly, may have a significant bearing on the transport properties at the dc limit. With these two key developments in mind, I consider here whether all the ingredients necessary for a complete phenomenological description of the anomalous normal state transport properties of high-$T_c$ cuprates are now in place.
In order to understand the material dependence of $T_c$ within the single-layered cuprates, we study a two-orbital model that considers both $d_{x^2-y^2}$ and $d_{z^2}$ orbitals. We reveal that a hybridization of $d_{z^2}$ on the Fermi surface substantially affects $T_c$ in the cuprates, where the energy difference $Delta E$ between the $d_{x^2-y2}$ and $d_{z^2}$ orbitals is identified to be the key parameter that governs both the hybridization and the shape of the Fermi surface. A smaller $Delta E$ tends to suppress $T_c$ through a larger hybridization, whose effect supersedes the effect of diamond-shaped (better-nested) Fermi surface. The mechanism of the suppression of d-wave superconductivity due to $d_{z^2}$ orbital mixture is clarified from the viewpoint of the ingredients involved in the Eliashberg equation, i.e., the Greens functions and the form of the pairing interaction described in the orbital representation. The conclusion remains qualitatively the same if we take a three-orbital model that incorporates Cu 4s orbital explicitly, where the 4s orbital is shown to have an important effect of making the Fermi surface rounded. We have then identified the origin of the material and lattice-structure dependence of $Delta E$, which is shown to be determined by the energy difference $Delta E_d$ between the two Cu3d orbitals (primarily governed by the apical oxygen height), and the energy difference $Delta E_p$ between the in-plane and apical oxygens (primarily governed by the interlayer separation $d$).
We consider the effects on phonon dynamics of spin-lattice coupling within the slave-boson mean-field treatment of the extended $t$-$J$ model. With no additional assumptions the theory is found to give a semi-quantitative account of the frequency and linewidth anomalies observed by Raman and neutron scattering for the 340$cm^{-1}$ $B_{1g}$ phonon mode in $YBa_2Cu_3O_7$ at the superconducting transition. We discuss the applicability of the model to phonon modes of different symmetries, and report a connection to spin-gap features observed in underdoped YBCO. The results suggest the possibility of a unified understanding of the anomalies in transport, magnetic and lattice properties.