C-axis optical conductivity from the Yang-Rice-Zhang model of the underdoped cuprates

TL;DR

This paper uses the Yang-Rice-Zhang model with coherent interlayer tunnelling to explain the distinct c-axis optical conductivity features in underdoped cuprates, highlighting the pseudogap's prominence in c-axis response.

Contribution

It demonstrates that the Yang-Rice-Zhang model can qualitatively reproduce the differences in optical conductivity between c-axis and in-plane directions in underdoped cuprates.

Findings

Pseudogap features are more prominent in c-axis optical response.

The model explains qualitative differences between in-plane and c-axis data.

Pseudogap manifests in infrared and microwave conductivity within the model.

Abstract

The c-axis optical response of the underdoped cuprates is qualitatively different from its in-plane counterpart. The features of the pseudogap show themselves more prominently in the c-axis than in-plane. We compute both the c-axis and in-plane optical conductivity using the Yang-Rice-Zhang model of the underdoped cuprates. This model combined with coherent interlayer tunnelling is enough to explain the qualitative differences between the in-plane and c-axis data. We show how pseudogap features manifest themselves in the infrared and microwave conductivity within this model.