Quasiclassical Transport at a van Hove Singularity in Cuprate Superconductors

Abstract

The thermopower in cuprate superconductors shows a quasiclassical temperature independence rather than the $T$-linear behavior of a Fermi liquid, and scales in an approximately universal manner with doping. It is shown that standard transport theory at a van Hove singularity in the band structure can explain both the linear resistivity and these remarkable features of the thermopower in cuprates.