| In spite of extensive research efforts in the last five years, the physical mechanism underlying high temperature superconductivity remains unclear. Quite important in this attempt is the identification of low-energy electronic excitations observed in high temperature superconductors. Infrared and optical spectroscopy is generally a useful source of such information. This dissertation examines the normal state infrared and optical properties of high-temperature cuprate and bismate superconductors near their optimized doping levels. The key spectral functions of four representative high temperature cuprates (La... |
