On the interplay between Tc-inhomogeneities at long length scales and thermal fluctuations around the average superconducting transition in cuprates

TL;DR

This paper reviews how long-scale inhomogeneities and thermal fluctuations influence the observable properties near the superconducting transition in cuprates, with a focus on in-plane transport behaviors.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis of the effects of various types of inhomogeneities on thermal fluctuations and transport properties in high-temperature superconductors.

Findings

Inhomogeneities do not directly alter thermal fluctuations.

Tc-inhomogeneities significantly impact in-plane transport measurements.

Different types of inhomogeneities can coexist and influence observed behaviors.

Abstract

We review some aspects of the interplay between inhomogeneities at long length scales and the intrinsic fluctuations of Cooper pairs above Tc in HTSC. These inhomogeneities do not directly affect the thermal fluctuations, but they may affect the measured behaviour of any observable around Tc. The emphasis is centered on the role played by the presence of Tc-inhomogeneities on the in-plane transport properties. For completeness, we will also summarize some results on this interplay when various types of inhomogeneities (i.e., structural and stoichiometric, uniformly and non-uniformly distributed) are simultaneously present.