Effect of superconducting fluctuations on the transverse resistance of high-Tcsuperconductors

Superconducting fluctuations in strongly anisotropic planar superconductors substantially affect the resistivity above the transition temperature. In a wide temperature range above ${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{c}}$, the main effect of these fluctuations is to create a virtual gap in the electronic spectrum, causing an increase in resistivity. As a result the resistivity shows a maximum close to the transition temperature. Closer to the transition temperature the correction to the resistivity becomes negative and grows as 1/(T-${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{c}}$ ${)}^2$, which is followed by the usual (T-${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{c}}$ ${)}^{1/2}$ law still closer to the transition temperature. This observation may help to understand the unusual behavior of the resistivity in the c direction in high-${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{c}}$ cuprates.