Abstract
In this article, we review the essential properties of high-temperature superconducting cuprates, which are unconventional isotope effects, heterogeneity, and lattice responses. Since their discovery was based on ideas stemming from Jahn–Teller polarons, their special role, together with the Jahn–Teller effect itself, is discussed in greater detail. We conclude that the underlying physics of cuprates cannot stem from purely electronic mechanisms, but that the intricate interaction between lattice and charge is at its origin.
Highlights
We provide a short review of conventional and unconventional superconductors and concentrate on the Jahn–Teller polaron (JTP) concept, the idea behind the 1986 discovery
We focus on the direct, observable consequences of the JTP and possible outlooks for future high-temperature superconductivity (HTSC) research
The discovery of high-temperature superconductivity in the cuprates [1] with transition temperatures Tc ' 100 K, much higher than for conventional low-temperature superconductors, raised some fundamental questions: What is the origin of the electron–hole pairing mechanism in these superconductors? Is it the electron–phonon pairing as in conventional superconductors, or are purely electronic effects at play? In order to explore the origin, an oxygen (16 O/18 O)-isotope effect (OIE) study in optimally doped YBa2 Cu3 O7−δ was performed in 1987, but no appreciable OIE on Tc could be detected [32]
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Since the discovery of high-temperature superconductivity (HTSC) in the La-BaCu-O system by J.G. Bednorz and K.A. Müller in 1986 [1], 35 years ago, the search for room-temperature superconductivity has been enormously intensified. Experimental efforts are at play, but, theoretically, this discovery has been taken as evidence that BCS theory needs to be abandoned and new pairing mechanisms are required. We provide a short review of conventional (before 1986) and unconventional (after 1986) superconductors and concentrate on the Jahn–Teller polaron (JTP) concept, the idea behind the 1986 discovery. We focus on the direct, observable consequences of the JTP and possible outlooks for future HTSC research
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