A simple model for in- and out-of-plane resistivities of hole doped cuprates

Abstract

The highly anisotropic and qualitatively different nature of in- and out-of-plane charge dynamics in high-Tc cuprates cannot be accommodated within the conventional Boltzmann transport theory. The variation of in- and out-of-plane resistivities with temperature and hole content are also anomalous and cannot be explained by Fermi-liquid theory. In this study we have proposed a simple phenomenological model for the dc resistivity of cuprates by incorporating two firmly established generic features of all hole doped cuprate superconductors- (1) the pseudogap in the quasiparticle energy spectrum and (2) the T-linear resistivity at high temperatures. This T-linear behavior over an extended temperature range can be attributed to a quantum criticality, affecting the electronic phase diagram of cuprates. Experimental in-plane and out-of-plane resistivities of double layer Y(Ca)123 have been analyzed using the proposed model. This phenomenological model describes the temperature and hole content dependent resistivity over a wide range of temperature and hole content.