Doping dependence of scattering rate for linear-in-temperature resistivity in cuprate superconductors

Abstract

The origin of the linear-in-temperature (T-linear) resistivity in cuprate superconductors remains a profound mystery in condensed matter physics. Here, we investigate the dependence of the T-linear resistivity coefficient on doping, i.e., A1(p), for three typical regions in the temperature versus doping phase diagram of hole-doped cuprates, from which the doping dependence of the scattering rate, i.e., α1(p), is further derived. It is found that for region I (p<p* and T>T*), α1(p) is almost a constant; for region II (p>p* and T>Tcoh), α1(p)∝p; for region III (p>p* and T<Tcoh), α1(p)∝p(pc−p), where T* is the onset temperature of the pseudogap phase, p* indicates the doping at which T* goes to zero, Tcoh marks the onset of antinodal quasiparticle coherence, and pc is the doping where the low-temperature linear behavior in the overdoped regime vanishes. Moreover, the deduced α1(p) relations are verified with the experimental data from previous reports. The discovered scattering rate versus doping relationship will shed light on the scattering mechanism underlying the T-linear resistivity in cuprate superconductors. Published by the American Physical Society 2024