Hole-Doped Cuprate High Temperature Superconductors

TL;DR

This paper reviews the major cuprate high temperature superconductors, highlighting their systematic properties, historical development, and the simplicity underlying their complex material systems, aiming to inform both physics and technological advancements.

Contribution

It presents simple scaling laws that reveal universal patterns in cuprate HTS materials, focusing on foundational systems and historical development.

Findings

Identification of universal scaling laws in cuprate HTS

Historical overview of key cuprate materials and discoveries

Insights into the complexity and simplicity of HTS systems

Abstract

Hole-doped cuprate high temperature superconductors have ushered in the modern era of high temperature superconductivity (HTS) and have continued to be at center stage in the field. Extensive studies have been made, many compounds discovered, voluminous data compiled, numerous models proposed, many review articles written, and various prototype devices made and tested with better performance than their nonsuperconducting counterparts. The field is indeed vast. We have therefore decided to focus on the major cuprate materials systems that have laid the foundation of HTS science and technology and present several simple scaling laws that show the systematic and universal simplicity amid the complexity of these material systems, while referring readers interested in the HTS physics and devices to the review articles. Developments in the field are mostly presented in chronological order, sometimes with anecdotes, in an attempt to share some of the moments of excitement and despair in the history of HTS with readers, especially the younger ones.