No Arabic abstract
Charge density wave (CDW) correlations have recently been shown to universally exist in cuprate superconductors. However, their nature at high fields inferred from nuclear magnetic resonance is distinct from that measured by x-ray scattering at zero and low fields. Here we combine a pulsed magnet with an x-ray free electron laser to characterize the CDW in YBa2Cu3O6.67 via x-ray scattering in fields up to 28 Tesla. While the zero-field CDW order, which develops below T ~ 150 K, is essentially two-dimensional, at lower temperature and beyond 15 Tesla, another three-dimensionally ordered CDW emerges. The field-induced CDW onsets around the zero-field superconducting transition temperature, yet the incommensurate in-plane ordering vector is field-independent. This implies that the two forms of CDW and high-temperature superconductivity are intimately linked.
A number of spectacular experimental anomaliescite{li-2007,fujita-2005} have recently been discovered in certain cuprates, notably {LBCO} and {LNSCO}, which exhibit unidirectional spin and charge order (known as ``stripe order). We have recently proposed to interpret these observations as evidence for a novel ``striped superconducting state, in which the superconducting order parameter is modulated in space, such that its average is precisely zero. Here, we show that thermal melting of the striped superconducting state can lead to a number of unusual phases, of which the most novel is a charge $4e$ superconducting state, with a corresponding fractional flux quantum $hc/4e$. These are never-before observed states of matter, and ones, moreover, that cannot arise from the conventional Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) mechanism. Thus, direct confirmation of their existence, even in a small subset of the cuprates, could have much broader implications for our understanding of high temperature superconductivity. We propose experiments to observe fractional flux quantization, which thereby could confirm the existence of these states.
We report optical spectra of Lu$_5$Ir$_4$Si$_{10}$ and Er$_5$Ir$_4$Si$_{10}$, exhibiting the phenomenon of coexisting superconductivity or antiferromagnetism and charge density wave (CDW) order. We measure the maximum value of the charge density wave gap present on part of the Fermi surface of Lu5Ir4Si10, corresponding to a ratio 2Delta/k_B T_CDW approx 10, well above the value in the limit of weak electron-phonon coupling. Strong electron-phonon coupling was confirmed by analyzing the optical conductivity with the Holstein model describing the electron-phonon interactions, indicating the coupling to phonons centered at 30 meV, with a coupling constant lambda approx 2.6. Finally we provide evidence that approximately 16 % of the Fermi surface of Lu5Ir4Si10 becomes gapped in the CDW state.
The influence of high electric fields on the charge stripe order in Nd1.67Sr0.33NiO4 was studied by means of simultaneous hard x-ray diffraction and electrical transport experiments. Direct measurements of the charge stripe satellite peaks in zero and high electric fields provide no evidence for a deformation or a sliding of the stripe lattice, which contradicts previous indications from non-linear conductance effects. By using the order parameter of a structural phase transition for instant sample temperature measurements, non-linear transport effects can be attributed to resistive heating. Implications for the pinning of stripes in the nickelates are discussed.
Recent theories of charge density wave (CDW) order in high temperature superconductors have predicted a primarily d CDW orbital symmetry. Here, we report on the orbital symmetry of CDW order in the canonical cuprate superconductors La1.875Ba0.125CuO4 (LBCO) and YBa2Cu3O6.67 (YBCO), using resonant soft x-ray scattering and a model mapped to the CDW orbital symmetry. From measurements sensitive to the O sublattice, we conclude that LBCO has predominantly s CDW orbital symmetry, in contrast to the d orbital symmetry recently reported in other cuprates. Additionally, we show for YBCO that the CDW orbital symmetry differs along the a and b crystal axes and that these both differ from LBCO. This work highlights CDW orbital symmetry as an additional key property that distinguishes the different cuprate families. We discuss how the CDW symmetry may be related to the 1/8--anomaly and to static spin ordering.
We report transport measurements under very high current densities $j$, up to $sim10^8$~A/cm$^2$, of quasi-one-dimensional charge-density wave (CDW) conductors NbSe$_3$ and TaS$_3$. Joule heating has been minimized by using a point-contact configuration or by measuring samples with extremely small cross-sections. Above $j_c approx 10^7$~A/cm$^2$ we find evidence for suppression of the Peierls gap and development of the metallic state. The critical CDW velocity corresponding with $j_0$ is comparable with the sound velocity, and with $Delta/ hbar k_F$ ($k_F$ is the Fermi wave vector), which corresponds to the depairing current. Possible scenarios of the Peierls state destruction are discussed.