Electronic Raman scattering in high-temperature superconductors

Experimental results on, and theoretical fundamentals of, the electronic Raman scattering in high-temperature superconductors are discussed. The effects of temperature, impurity scattering, and resonance conditions on electronic Raman spectra in the superconducting state are analyzed. The primary objective of the review is to establish how different peculiarities of the inelastic light scattering spectra are related to fundamental properties of the fundamental superconducting state, such as the superconducting gap and the symmetry of pairing. (reviews of topical problems)