Grazing Incidence Infrared Reflectivity of La${}_{1.85}$Sr${}_{0.15}$CuO${}_4$ and NbN

Abstract

Infrared reflectivity measurements, using p-polarized light at a grazing angle of incidence, show an increased sensitivity to the optical conductivity of highly reflecting superconducting materials. We demonstrate that when this measurement technique is applied to the conventional s-wave superconductor NbN, the results are in perfect agreement with BCS theory. For the in-plane response of a La${}_{1.85}$Sr${}_{0.15}$CuO${}_4$ single crystal, in the superconducting state, we find a reduction of the optical conductivity in the frequency range below 20 meV. The observed frequency dependence excludes an isotropic s-wave gap, but agrees well with model calculations assuming a d-wave order parameter.

submitted to phys rev letters, 4 pages, 3 figures in postscript