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An unusual isotope effect in a high-transition-temperature superconductor.

Author(s) : GWEON G. H., SASAGAWA T., ZHOU S., et al.

Type of article: Article

Summary

In conventional superconductors, the electron pairing that allows superconductivity is caused by exchange of virtual phonons, which are quanta of lattice vibration. For high-transition-temperature (high-Tc) superconductors, it is far from clear that phonons are involved in the pairing at all. In this article, the authors provide a detailed comparison of the electron dynamics of Bi2212 samples containing different oxygen isotopes, using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. Their data show definite and strong isotope effects. Surprisingly, the effects mainly appear in broad high-energy humps, commonly referred to as 'incoherent peaks'. As a function of temperature and electron momentum, the magnitude of the isotope effect closely correlates with the superconducting gap-that is, the pair binding energy. They suggest that these results can be explained in a dynamic spin-Peierls picture, where the singlet pairing of electrons and the electron-lattice coupling mutually enhance each other.

Details

  • Original title: An unusual isotope effect in a high-transition-temperature superconductor.
  • Record ID : 2005-0007
  • Languages: English
  • Source: Nature - vol. 430 - n. 6996
  • Publication date: 2004/07/08

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