arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to R. Fehrenbacher.
We argue that an effective single-particle model to explain the destructive role of Pr on superconductivity in PrBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_7$, is inconsistent with the experimental ac conductivity in that compound.
A BCS model characterized by a phenomenological pair potential with on-site ($V_0$), nearest ($V_1$), and next nearest ($V_2$) neighbour coupling constants, and an empirical quasiparticle dispersion taken from angle-resolved photoemission spectra is considered. The model can consistently explain the experimental data concerning the pair state of the hole doped cuprates. Three ingredients are required to make the interpretation possible: the existence of flat bands, a very small effective on-site repulsion, and a slightly dominating effective nnn attraction $V_2$ of the order of 60-80meV with a ratio $V_2/V_1 \approx 1.5$.
The effects of non-magnetic impurities on the properties of superconductors with order parameters (OP) of different symmetry are discussed. In particular, we contrast the case of a d_{x^2 - y^2} with various forms of an anisotropic s-wave (ASW) gap. The biggest qualitative difference occurs if the phase of the s-wave OP does not change sign.
We contrast the effects of non-magnetic impurities on the properties of superconductors having a \dw\ order parameter, and a highly anisotropic s-wave (ASW) gap with the same nodal structure. The non-vanishing, impurity induced, off-diagonal self-energy in the ASW state is shown to gap out the low energy excitations present in the clean system, leading to a qualitatively different impurity response of the single particle density of states compared to the \dw\ state. We discuss how this behaviour can be employed to distinguish one state from the other by an analysis of high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectra.