Reply to "Comment on 'Isotope effect in high-Tc superconductors' "

Abstract

Our paper on the isotope effect in high-temperature superconductors with cation substitutions presents a comprehensive analysis rooted completely in the experimental evidence. In this Reply we show that pair-breaking disorder, isotope effects, doping-induced variations in Tc and in the magnetic penetration depth, Coulomb's law, and Anderson's theorem are treated with correct physical and mathematical fundamentals. In contrast, the theory fostered in the Comment by Alexandrov and Zhao contradicts several specific experimental facts, eight of which are briefly discussed. Their Comment also uncritically repeats a previously discredited assertion of an isotope effect in the superconducting carrier mass, incorrectly assumes that cation doping continuously varies intrinsic superconducting parameters, unjustifiably assigns importance to data from samples with serious quality problems, and renders a false estimate of the pair-breaking strength.

9 pages, 25 references, 3 figures

References in corpus (4)

• Magnetism, superconductivity, and pairing symmetry in Fe-based superconductors
• NMR relaxation rate in superconducting pnictides: extended $s_{\pm }$ scenario
• Precise determination of the superconducting gap along the diagonal direction of Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+y: Evidence for extended s-wave gap symmetry
• Comment on "Isotope effect in high-Tc superconductors" (D. R. Harshman, J. D. Dow, and A. T. Fiory, Physical Review B v.77, 024523 (2008))

Cited by in corpus (5)

• Theory of High-Tc Superconductivity: Accurate Predictions of Tc
• Comment on "Superconductivity in electron-doped layered TiNCl with variable interlayer coupling"
• Coexisting Holes and Electrons in High-Tc Materials: Implications from Normal State Transport
• High-$T$${}_{\text{C}}$ Superconductivity in Hydrogen Clathrates Mediated by Coulomb Interactions between Hydrogen and Central-Atom Electrons
• Charge compensation and optimal stoichiometry in superconducting (Ca${}_x$La${}_{1-x}$)(Ba${}_{1.75-x}$La${}_{0.25+x}$)Cu${}_3$O${}_y$