Numerical Study of Charge Transport of Overdoped La$_{2-x}$Sr$_{x}$CuO$_{4}$ within Semiclassical Boltzmann Transport Theory

TL;DR

This study uses semiclassical Boltzmann transport theory with empirical data to explain the linear temperature dependence of resistivity in overdoped LSCO, capturing key trends but underestimating magnitude.

Contribution

It demonstrates that non-Fermi liquid behavior in LSCO's resistivity can be modeled within a semiclassical framework using renormalized quasiparticle scattering rates.

Findings

Reproduces main trends of resistivity's temperature dependence

Underestimates resistivity magnitude due to chosen interaction strength

Extends analysis to Seebeck coefficient with similar trend agreement

Abstract

The in-plane resistivity of the high-temperature oxide superconductor La$_{2-x}$Sr$_{x}$CuO$_{4}$ [LSCO] shows a strong growth of a contribution linear in temperature as the doping is reduced in the overdoped region toward optimal. This linear term is a signature of non-Fermi liquid behavior. We find that the appearance of a linear term in the resistivity can arise in a semiclassical Boltzmann transport theory which uses renormalized quasiparticle scattering rates and an empirical band structure fitted to ARPES data on LSCO. The linearized Boltzmann equation is solved numerically by discretizing the Brillouin zone in a way that fits best to the Fermi surface geometry. The main trends in the development of the anomalous temperature dependence are well reproduced. There is a substantial underestimation of the magnitude of the resistivity which is expected in view of the moderate to weak values we chose for the onsite repulsion to stay within the one-loop renormalization group approximation. The analysis was extended to the Seebeck coefficient with similar agreement with the main trends in the data.