Unified Description of the Resonance Peak and Incommensuration in High-$T_c$ Superconductors

Abstract

We present a unified description of the resonance peak and low-energy incommensurate response observed in high-$T_c$ cuprate superconductors. We argue that both features have a purely magnetic origin and they represent universal features of an incommensurate spin state both below and above the superconducting transition temperature. In this description the resonance peak is the reflection of commensurate antiferromagnetism. Our theoretical scenario gives an account of the main features observed in various families of superconductors and predicts those not yet observed, like a resonance peak in La$_2$NiO$_{4+x}$.