Smearing of the Hebel-Slichter Peak by 2D Fluctuations in Layered Cuprate Superconductors

Abstract

The absence of the Hebel-Slichter peak in the observed temperature dependence of the nuclear spin relaxation rate, 1⁄T₁, is investigated by evaluating the effect of fluctuations in the superconducting order parameter on the local electronic susceptibility. The interactions between fluctuations have been taken into account in order to smear out the peak in the immediate vicinity of the critical temperature T_c. It is found that, below T_c, 1⁄T₁ rapidly decreases in agreement with the experimental data.