The cuprate high temperature superconductors exhibit a pronounced trend in which the superconducting transition temperature, $T_{rm c}$, increases with the number of CuO$_2$ planes, $n$, in the crystal structure. We compare the magnetic excitation sp
ectrum of Bi$_{2+x}$Sr$_{2-x}$CuO$_{6+delta}$ (Bi-2201) and Bi$_2$Sr$_2$Ca$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{10 + delta}$ (Bi-2223), with $n=1$ and $n=3$ respectively, using Cu $L_3$-edge resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS). Near the anti-nodal zone boundary we find the paramagnon energy in Bi-2223 is substantially higher than that in Bi-2201, indicating that multilayer cuprates host stronger effective magnetic exchange interactions, providing a possible explanation for the $T_{rm c}$ vs. $n$ scaling. In contrast, the nodal direction exhibits very strongly damped, almost non-dispersive excitations. We argue that this implies that the magnetism in the doped cuprates is partially itinerant in nature.
We investigate the high-energy magnetic excitation spectrum of the high-$T_c$ cuprate superconductor Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CaCu$_2$O$_{8+delta}$ (Bi-2212) using Cu $L_3$ edge resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS). Broad, dispersive magnetic excitations ar
e observed, with a zone boundary energy of $sim$300 meV and a weak dependence on doping. These excitations are strikingly similar to the bosons proposed to explain the high-energy `kink observed in photoemission. A calculation of the spin-response based on the ARPES-derived electronic structure and YRZ-quasi-particles reproduces the key features of the observed magnetic dispersions with no adjustable parameters. These results show that it is possible to reconcile the magnetic and electronic properties of the cuprates within a unified framework.
