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International audience; In Sr$_2$ IrO$_4$ and Sr$_3$ Ir$_2$ O$_7$ , correlations, magnetism, and spin-orbit coupling compete on similar energy scales, creating a new context to study metal-insulator transitions (MIT). We use here angle-resolved photoemission to investigate the MIT as a function of hole and electron doping in Sr$_3$ Ir$_2$ O$_7$ , obtained respectively by Ir/Rh and Sr/La substitutions. We show that there is a clear reduction as a function of doping of the gap between a lower and upper band on both sides of the Fermi level, from 0.2 to 0.05 eV. Although these two bands have a counterpart in band structure calculations, they are characterized by a very different degree of coherence. The upper band exhibits clear quasiparticle peaks, while the lower band is very broad and loses weight as a function of doping. Moreover, their ARPES spectral weights obey different periodicities, reinforcing the idea of their different nature. We argue that a very similar situation occurs in Sr$_2$ IrO$_4$ and conclude that the physics of the two families is essentially the same.

We report on the synthesis of perovskite SrIrO3 thin films using sputtering technique. Single phase (110) oriented SrIrO$_3$ thin films were epitaxially grown on SrTiO3 (001) substrate. Using off-axis XRD $\theta-2\theta$ scans, we demonstrate that these films exhibit (110) out-of-plane orientation with (001) and (1-10) lying in-plane. The sputtering grown thin films have a smooth, homogeneous surface, and excellent coherent interface with the substrate., Comment: Corrected the peaks permutation in Fig. 4

We report on the spectra of point-contacts made on Sr$_{0.88}$La$_{0.12}$CuO$_2$ thin films. Besides a clear evidence for the superconducting gap, we discuss the origin of specific features, such as resistance peaks at the gap voltage and the occurrence of a two-steps resistance decrease., New data added

We have used the electric--field effect to modulate the resistivity of the surface of underdoped Sr$_{0.88}$La$_{0.12}$CuO$_{2+x}$ thin films, allowing opposite modifications of the electron and hole density in the CuO$_2$ planes, an original situation with respect to conventional chemical doping in electron-doped materials. When the Hall effect indicates a large contribution of a hole band, the electric--field effect on the normal state resistivity is however dominated by the electrons, and the superconducting transition temperature increases when carriers are transfered from holes to electrons.

Signatures of antiferromagnetism (AF) in the underdoped Ln2-xCexCuO4 (Ln = Nd, Pr,...) family are observed even for doping levels for which superconductivity exists. We have looked for a similar property in a different electron-doped cuprate family, Sr1-xLaxCuO2, which consists of CuO2 planes separated by Sr/La atoms, and is exempt of the possible influence of magnetic rare earth ions. We report in-plane magnetoresistance measurements in the normal state of underdoped, superconducting, c-axis oriented, epitaxial Sr1-xLaxCuO2 thin films. This probe is sensitive to spin arrangement and we find that the in-plane magnetoresistance, which is negative and does not saturate for T, exhibits an angular dependence when measured upon rotating a magnetic field within the CuO2 planes. The analysis reveals a superposition of fourfold and twofold angular oscillations. Both of these increase in amplitude with increasing field and decreasing and appear below a temperature, which gets higher with decreasing doping levels. Our results demonstrate that these magnetoresistance oscillations, also observed for the Ln2-xCexCuO4 (Ln = Nd, Pr,...) family and attributed to an AF signature, are, without ambiguity, a property of CuO2 planes. Besides, these oscillations vary with doping in an unusual way compared to previous results: fourfold oscillations are essentially present in the more underdoped samples while only twofold oscillations are visible in the less underdoped ones. This intriguing observation appears to be a consequence of spin dilution with increasing doping level., 25 pages, 6 figures

The in-plane penetration depth of Sr$_{0.88}$La$_{0.12}$CuO$_{2+x}$ thin films at various doping obtained from oxygen reduction has been measured, using AC susceptibility measurements. For the higher doping samples, the superfluid density deviates strongly from the s-wave behavior, suggesting, in analogy with other electron-doped cuprates, a contribution from a nodal hole pocket, or a small gap on the Fermi surface such as an anisotropic s-wave order parameter. The low value of the superfluid densities, likely due to a strong doping-induced disorder, places the superconducting transition of our samples in the phase-fluctuation regime.

The time-averaged and low--frequency noise transport properties were investigated in the vicinity of the superconductor--insulator transition for a Bi$_2$Sr$_{2-x}$La$_{x}$CuO$_{6+��}$ ($x=0.3$) thin film. The results are consistent with a superconductor (metal) embedded in a strong insulator, the latter showing two-dimensional variable range hopping properties. The weak insulator behavior -- if any -- is attributed to the metallic inclusions only.

The resistance noise in a Bi_2Sr_2CaCu_2O$_{8+\delta}$ thin film is found to increase strongly in the underdoped regime. While the increase of the raw resistance noise with decreasing temperature appears to roughly track the previously reported pseudogap temperature for this material, standard noise analysis rather suggests that the additional noise contribution is driven by the proximity of the superconductor-insulator transition.

The resistance noise in a Bi_2Sr_2CaCu_2O$_{8+��}$ thin film is found to increase strongly in the underdoped regime. While the increase of the raw resistance noise with decreasing temperature appears to roughly track the previously reported pseudogap temperature for this material, standard noise analysis rather suggests that the additional noise contribution is driven by the proximity of the superconductor-insulator transition.

The in-plane resistivity and Hall coefficient have been measured for the single-layer compound Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CuO$_{6+\delta}$ for the whole range of doping states. The deviation of the Hall coefficient, $R_H$, from a high-temperature linear behavior and the temperature dependence of the Hall angle are both only weakly dependent upon doping, contrasting with Bi$_2$Sr$_{2-x}$La$_x$CuO$_{6+\delta}$ and Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CaCuO$_{8+\delta}$. This is in contradiction with former proposals that the transverse transport detects the formation of incoherent Cooper pairs in the pseudogap state. Conversely, the analysis of the data using a phenomenological angular dependent scattering rate clearly allows to distinguish between underdoped and overdoped states, and we propose that the maximum in $R_H(T)$ simply arises due to the combination of a large isotropic scattering rate and an anisotropic temperature dependent one.

The in-plane resistivity and Hall coefficient have been measured for the single-layer compound Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CuO$_{6+��}$ for the whole range of doping states. The deviation of the Hall coefficient, $R_H$, from a high-temperature linear behavior and the temperature dependence of the Hall angle are both only weakly dependent upon doping, contrasting with Bi$_2$Sr$_{2-x}$La$_x$CuO$_{6+��}$ and Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CaCuO$_{8+��}$. This is in contradiction with former proposals that the transverse transport detects the formation of incoherent Cooper pairs in the pseudogap state. Conversely, the analysis of the data using a phenomenological angular dependent scattering rate clearly allows to distinguish between underdoped and overdoped states, and we propose that the maximum in $R_H(T)$ simply arises due to the combination of a large isotropic scattering rate and an anisotropic temperature dependent one.

The in-plane magnetoresistance of an epitaxial Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CuO$_{6+\delta}$ thin film was systematically investigated as a function of doping, above $T_c$. The orbital magnetoconductance is used to extract the crossover field line $H_{c2}^*(T)$ in the fluctuation regime. This field is found in good agreement with the upper critical field obtained from resistivity data below $T_c$, and exhibits a similar upward curvature, thus pointing toward the existence of a critical correlation length. The consequences regarding the nature of the resistive transition are discussed.

The current dependence of the excess conductivity is measured up to $\simeq 3 T_c$ for a Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CuO$_{6+��}$ thin film, as a function of doping. It is found to be anomalously sensitive to the transport current and to behave as a universal function of $T/T_c$ in the whole doping range. We discuss these results in the perspective of a granular superconductor with a gapless-like behavior.

The in-plane magnetoresistance of an epitaxial Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CuO$_{6+��}$ thin film was systematically investigated as a function of doping, above $T_c$. The orbital magnetoconductance is used to extract the crossover field line $H_{c2}^*(T)$ in the fluctuation regime. This field is found in good agreement with the upper critical field obtained from resistivity data below $T_c$, and exhibits a similar upward curvature, thus pointing toward the existence of a critical correlation length. The consequences regarding the nature of the resistive transition are discussed.

The suppression of excess conductivity with electric field is studied for Bi$_2$Sr$_2$Ca$_{n-1}$Cu$_n$O$_{2n+4+x}$ ($n$ = 1, 2) thin films. A pulse-probe technique is used, which allows for an estimate of the sample temperature. The characteristic electric field for fluctuations suppression is found well below the expected value for all samples. For the $n=1$ material, a scaling of the excess conductivity with electric field and temperature is obtained, similar to the scaling under strong magnetic field.

We have measured an angle-dependent contribution to the equilibrium magnetization of a YBa_2Cu_3O_{7-d} single crystal with columnar defects created by 5.8GeV Pb ions. This contribution manifests itself as a jump in the equilibrium torque signal, when the magnetic field crosses that of the defects. The magnitude of the signal, which is observed in a narrow temperature interval less than 2K and for fields up to about twice the irradiation field, is used to estimate the the energy gained by vortex pinning on the defects. The vanishing of the effective pinning energy at a temperature below Tc is attributed to its renormalization by thermal fluctuations., Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Physical Review B additional comments on the interperation of the results