Physical Properties of Electron-Doped Copper Oxides

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This individual investigator award will fund a project to study the superconducting and normal state properties of electron-doped copper oxides, a class of high-temperature superconductors, with the aim of eventually understanding the mechanism of high temperature superconductivity. The electron-doped high-Tc superconductors have some unique properties compared to the more prevalent, and more studied, hole-doped cuprates. A synergistic feedback between the materials preparation of single crystals and thin films, and physical properties is expected to lead to both higher quality materials and new insights into the nature of the normal and superconducting states. The measurements planned include: low temperature thermal and electrical transport, low temperature specific heat, single particle tunneling, Raman scattering and optical reflectivity, photoemission, and penetration depth. All measurements will be done at zero magnetic field to probe the superconducting state and at fields above the critical field to probe the low temperature normal state. This project provides excellent training for graduate students and post doctoral research associates in a multidisciplinary area of research. It will expose them to research tools and ideas that will be useful for careers in industry and academia.The origin of high- temperature superconductivity in copper oxides is one of the major unsolved problems in physics. An understanding of high-Tc superconductors is likely to impact not only fundamental condensed matter physics, but also potential applications of these materials as improved electronics devices and current carrying wires. This individual investigator award will fund a project that has as its goal to understand electron-doped high-Tc superconductors. These materials form a subset of all the high-Tc copper oxides, but they have very unusual properties that need to be understood. The experiments proposed in this project will provide excellent training for graduate students in a multidisciplinary area of research. It will expose students to research tools and ideas that will be of great use in industry.