Resonance in the electron-doped high-Tc superconductor Pr0.88LaCe0.12CuO4

Pengcheng Dai, The University of Tennessee, DMR-0453804

We have used inelastic neutron scattering to discover the magnetic resonance in electron-doped high-transition temperature superconductor Pr0.88LaCe0.12CuO4 (PLCCO).Previous experiments have shown that resonance is a common feature of different classes of hole-doped materials, the discovery of a similar feature in the electron-doped superconductor means that the resonance may be a common feature for all superconducting cuprates.

Experiments show that the energy of the resonance is proportional to the superconductingtransition temperature and its intensity is intimately related to the appearance of superconductivity. The mode must be essentialin the mechanism of high-Tc superconductivity.

Nature 442, 59-62 (2006).

Education:One graduate (Stephen D. Wilson) and one postdoc (Dr. Shiliang Li) worked on research supported by this NSF Award.

The lab web site http://pdai.phys.utk.edu/ contains pictures and description of equipment and facilities, and recent research activities and publications supported by NSF. We also use NSF funds to support summer internship to local high-school students.

Societal Impact:Understanding the mechanism of high-Tc superconductivity will allow possible future design of materials with even higher Tc’s. Our experiments allow a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanism of high-Tc superconductivity. For more detailed implications of our results, please see press releases from NIST and University of Tennessee at: http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/releases/magnetism_key.html and http://www.tennessee.edu/news/article.php?id=3722and http://www.phys.utk.edu/news/2006/news_07062006_dai.html

Resonance in the electron-doped high-Tc superconductor Pr0.88LaCe0.12CuO4

Pengcheng Dai, The University of Tennessee, DMR-0453804