Superconductivity-Induced Transfer of In-Plane Spectral Weight in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8: Resolving a Controversy

TL;DR

This paper clarifies the controversy over spectral weight transfer in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8, confirming that superconductivity causes an increase in low-frequency spectral weight due to spectral weight transfer from interband to intraband regions.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis confirming the spectral weight transfer mechanism and resolves discrepancies between previous studies on Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8.

Findings

Superconductivity induces an increase in low-frequency spectral weight.

Spectral weight transfer occurs from interband to intraband regions.

The transfer extends well above 2.5 eV, not just narrowing of intraband peak.

Abstract

We present a detailed analysis of the superconductivity-induced redistribution of optical spectral weight in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 near optimal doping. It confirms the previous conclusion by Molegraaf et al. (Science 66, 2239 (2002)), that the integrated low-frequency spectral weight shows an extra increase below Tc. Since the region, where the change of the integrated spectral weight is not compensated, extends well above 2.5 eV, this transfer is caused by the transfer of spectral weight from interband to intraband region and only partially by the narrowing of the intraband peak. We show that the opposite assertion by Boris et al. (Science 304, 708 (2004)) regarding this compound, is unlikely the consequence of any obvious discrepancies between the actual experimental data.