Abstract
The total spectral weight S of the emergent low-energy quasiparticles in high-temperature superconductors (HTSCs) is explored by x-ray absorption spectroscopy. In order to examine the applicability of the Hubbard model, regimes that cover from zero doping to overdoping are investigated. In contrast to results of mean-field theory, we found that S deviates from linear dependence on the doping level p. The slope of S versus p changes continuously throughout the whole doping range with no sign of saturation up to p=0.23. Therefore, the picture of the Zhang-Rice singlet remains intact within the most prominent doping regimes of HTSCs. © 2013 American Physical Society.