Electronic Properties of Cuprate Superconductors

Abstract

The superconducting properties of metals are principally defined by their electronic structure in the normal state. Therefore, it is essential to study the latter state to elucidate the mechanism of superconductivity in the cuprate superconductors. Intensive experimental studies of their electronic structure by photoelectron and optic spectroscopy, by transport measurements and by tunneling spectroscopy reveal an unconventional behavior which strongly deviates from a traditional Fermi-liquid description of normal metals. There is still no clear understanding of the normal state properties of cuprate superconductors, which precludes the development of a consistent theory of the high-temperature superconductivity.