Characterization of two electronic subsystems in cuprates through optical conductivity

Abstract

Understanding the physical properties of unconventional superconductors as well as of other correlated materials presents a formidable challenge. Their unusual evolution with doping, frequency, and temperature has frequently led to non-Fermi-liquid (non-FL) interpretations. Optical conductivity is a major challenge in this context. Here, the optical spectra of two archetypal cuprates, underdoped HgBa${}_2$CuO${}_{4+\delta }$ and optimally-doped Bi${}_2$Sr${}_2$CaCu${}_2$O${}_{8+\delta }$, are interpreted based on the standard Fermi liquid (FL) paradigm. At both dopings, perfect frequency-temperature FL scaling is found to be modified by the presence of a second, gapped electronic subsystem. This non-FL component emerges as a well-defined mid-infrared spectral feature after the FL contribution -- determined independently by transport -- is subtracted. Temperature, frequency, and doping evolution of the MIR feature identify a gapped rather than dissipative response. In contrast, the dissipative response is found to be relevant for pnictides and ruthenates. Such an unbiased FL/non-FL separation is extended across the cuprate phase diagram, capturing all the key features of the normal state and providing a natural explanation why the superfluid density is attenuated on the overdoped side. Thus, we obtain a unified interpretation of optical responses and transport measurements in all analyzed physical regimes and all analyzed compounds.

arXiv comment19 pages, 17 figures

References in corpus (36)

• Effect of chemical inhomogeneity in the bismuth-based copper oxide superconductors
• Electronic Phase Diagram of High-T_c Cuprate Superconductors from a Mapping of the In-Plane Resistivity Curvature
• Powerlaw optical conductivity with a constant phase angle in high Tc superconductors
• Doping dependent evolution of the electronic structure of La2-xSrxCuO4 in the superconducting and metallic phases
• Universal scaling relation in high-temperature superconductors
• Evolution of the Hall Coefficient and the Peculiar Electronic Structure of the Cuprate Superconductors
• Universal sheet resistance and revised phase diagram of the cuprate high-temperature superconductors
• Constant effective mass across the phase diagram of high-T${}_c$ cuprates
• Evidence for a Fermi liquid in the pseudogap phase of high-Tc cuprates
• Use of X-ray scattering functions in Kramers-Kronig analysis of reflectance
• Universal Decomposition of the Low-Frequency Conductivity Spectra of Iron-Pnictides Uncovering Fermi-Liquid Behavior
• Incoherent transport across the strange metal regime of highly overdoped cuprates
• Optical determination of the relation between the electron-boson coupling function and the critical temperature in high T${}_c$ cuprates
• Linear-in temperature resistivity from an isotropic Planckian scattering rate
• Validity of Kohler's rule in the pseudogap phase of the cuprate superconductors
• Electrodynamics of electron doped iron-pnictide superconductors: Normal state properties
• Strain Control of Fermiology and Many-Body Interactions in Two-Dimensional Ruthenates
• Non-Drude universal scaling laws for the optical response of local Fermi liquids
• Locating the missing superconducting electrons in overdoped cuprates
• Optical Response of Sr${}_2$RuO${}_4$ Reveals Universal Fermi-liquid Scaling and Quasiparticles Beyond Landau Theory
• Scaling of the superfluid density in high-temperature superconductors
• Demonstrating the model nature of the high-temperature superconductor HgBa${}_2$CuO${}_{4+\Delta }$
• Unusual behavior of cuprates explained by heterogeneous charge localization
• Emergence of superconductivity in the cuprates via a universal percolation process
• Optical spectroscopy shows that the normal state of URu${}_2$Si${}_2$ is an anomalous Fermi liquid
• Rise and Fall of Landau's Quasiparticles While Approaching the Mott Transition
• Percolative nature of the dc paraconductivity in the cuprate superconductors
• High-T${}_c$ cuprates: a story of two electron subsystems
• Universal superconducting precursor in the cuprates
• Identification of a Nematic Pair Density Wave State in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x
• Electrons with Planckian scattering obey standard orbital motion in a magnetic field
• Fermi surface and effective masses in photoemission response of the (Ba${}_{1-x}$K${}_x$)Fe${}_2$As${}_2$ superconductor
• Superfluid density and two-component conductivity in hole-doped cuprates
• Separated transport relaxation scales and interband scattering in SrRuO${}_3$, CaRuO${}_3$, and Sr${}_2$RuO${}_4$ thin films
• High-temperature superconductors as ionic metals
• Fermi arcs and pseudogap emerging from dimensional crossover at the Fermi surface in La${}_{2-x}$Sr${}_x$CuO${}_4$

Cited by in corpus (6)

• Investigation of Planckian behavior in a high-conductivity oxide: PdCrO${}_2$
• Transport properties and doping evolution of the Fermi surface in cuprates
• The Lorenz ratio as a guide to scattering contributions to Planckian transport
• High-entropy magnetism of murunskite
• Cuprates, Pnictides and Sulfosalts: Lessons in Functional Materials
• Hidden Universal Metal in Cuprate Superconductors