Origin of the anomalous low temperature upturn in resistivity in the electron-doped cuprates

TL;DR

This paper investigates the low-temperature resistivity upturn in electron-doped cuprates, attributing it to spin scattering processes, and analyzes the magnetic field and doping dependence of magnetoresistance in Pr2-xCexCuO4-delta films.

Contribution

It distinguishes between orbital and spin magnetoresistance and links the resistivity upturn to spin scattering, providing insight into the underlying mechanisms.

Findings

Spin MR dominates in superconducting samples.

Resistivity upturn correlates with spin scattering.

Magnetoresistance behavior varies with doping and temperature.

Abstract

The temperature, doping and field dependences of the magnetoresistance (MR) in Pr_(2-x)Ce_(x)CuO_(4-delta) films are reported. We distinguish between orbital MR, found when the magnetic field is applied perpendicular to the ab planes, and the nearly isotropic spin MR. The latter, the major MR effect in the superconducting samples, appears in the region of the doping-temperature phase diagram where d(rho)/dT<0, or an upturn in the resistivity appears. We conclude that the upturn originates from spin scattering processes.