Abstract
Optical spectra of high-transition-temperature superconductors in the midinfrared display a gap of in-plane conductivity whose role for superconductivity remains unresolved. Femtosecond measurements of the mid- infrared reflectivity of YBa2Cu3O(7-δ) after nonequilibrium optical excitation are used to demonstrate the ultrafast fill-in of this gap and reveal two gap constituents: a picosecond recovery of the superconducting condensate in underdoped and optimally doped material and, in underdoped YBa2Cu3O(7-δ), an additional subpicosecond component related to pseudogap correlations. The temperature-dependent amplitudes of both contributions correlate with the antiferromagnetic 41-millielectronvolt peak in neutron scattering, supporting the coupling between charges and spin excitations.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 470-473 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Science |
Volume | 287 |
Issue number | 5452 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 21 2000 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General