The resonance peak in cuprate superconductors

TL;DR

This paper explains the resonance peak in cuprate superconductors as a damped spin-wave excitation that becomes visible in the superconducting state, supported by a spin-fermion model matching experimental data.

Contribution

It demonstrates that the resonance peak arises from a spin-wave excitation with damping effects, and uses a spin-fermion model to accurately describe its temperature and doping dependence.

Findings

Resonance peak is heavily damped in the normal state.

Peak becomes visible in the superconducting state due to reduced damping.

Model explains the absence of the peak in La$_{2-x}$Sr$_x$CuO$_4$.

Abstract

We pursue the consequences of a theory in which the resonance peak observed in inelastic neutron scattering (INS) experiments on underdoped and optimally doped YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{6+x}$ compounds arises from a spin-wave excitation. We find that it is heavily damped, and thus almost not observable, in the normal state, but becomes visible in the superconducting state due to the drastic decrease in spin damping. We show that a spin-fermion model correctly describes the temperature dependence of the peak position for YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_7$, as well as the doping dependence of the peak position and of the integrated intensity. We explain why no resonance peak has been observed in La$_{2-x}$Sr$_x$CuO$_4$, and make several predictions concerning resonance peaks in other cuprate superconductors.