Bruno Pignon

Comparative infrared study of optimally doped and underdoped La2−xSrxCuO4 single crystals

The temperature dependence of the optical spectra of two La2?xSrxCuO4 single crystals was investigated for both in-plane and out-of-plane directions. For the underdoped (x = 0.08) single crystal, the in-plane optical conductivity that was analysed by a generalized Drude formalism shows a suppression of the scattering rate 1/?(?) and an increased effective mass m* as the temperature decreases at low frequencies. Since this behaviour can be explained by the pseudogap effect, it is concluded that the pseudogap is not present at the optimal doping (x = 0.15). This result is confirmed by the c-axis optical conductivity, which decreases only for the underdoped single crystal. The absence of the pseudogap at the optimal composition is in accord with the quantum critical point model and it can explain the phase diagram of high-temperature superconductors.