Dichotomy in the $T$-linear resistivity in hole-doped cuprates

Understand

From analysis of the in-plane resistivity $\rho_{ab}(T)$ of La$_{2-x}$Sr$_x$CuO$_4$, we show that normal state transport in overdoped cuprates can be delineated into two regimes in which the electrical resistivity varies approximately linearly with temperature.

• In the low temperature limit, the $T$-linear resistivity extends over a very wide doping range, in marked contrast to expectations from conventional quantum critical scenarios.
• The coefficient of this $T$-linear resistivity scales with the superconducting transition temperature $T_c$, implying that the interaction causing this anomalous scattering is also associated with the superconducting pairing mechanism.
• At high temperatures, the coefficient of the $T$-linear resistivity is essentially doping independent beyond a critical doping $p_{\rm crit}$ = 0.19 at which the ratio of the two coefficients is maximal.