No Arabic abstract
The observation of a reconstructed Fermi surface via quantum oscillations in hole-doped cuprates opened a path towards identifying broken symmetry states in the pseudogap regime. However, such an identification has remained inconclusive due to the multi-frequency quantum oscillation spectra and complications accounting for bilayer effects in most studies. We overcome these impediments with high resolution measurements on the structurally simpler cuprate HgBa2CuO4+d (Hg1201), which features one CuO2 plane per unit cell. We find only a single oscillatory component with no signatures of magnetic breakdown tunneling to additional orbits. Therefore, the Fermi surface comprises a single quasi-two-dimensional pocket. Quantitative modeling of these results indicates that biaxial charge-density-wave within each CuO2 plane is responsible for the reconstruction, and rules out criss-crossed charge stripes between layers as a viable alternative in Hg1201. Lastly, we determine that the characteristic gap between reconstructed pockets is a significant fraction of the pseudogap energy.
Charge density-wave order has been observed in cuprate superconductors whose crystal structure breaks the square symmetry of the CuO2 planes, such as orthorhombic YBa2Cu3Oy (YBCO), but not so far in cuprates that preserve that symmetry, such as tetragonal HgBa2CuO4+d (Hg1201). We have measured the Hall (R_H), Seebeck (S), and Nernst coefficients of underdoped Hg1201 in magnetic fields large enough to suppress superconductivity. The high-field R_H(T) and S(T) are found to drop with decreasing temperature and become negative, as also observed in YBCO at comparable doping. In YBCO, the negative R_H and S are signatures of a small electron pocket caused by Fermi-surface reconstruction, attributed to charge density-wave modulations observed in the same range of doping and temperature. We deduce that a similar Fermi-surface reconstruction takes place in Hg1201, evidence that density-wave order exists in this material. A striking similarity is also found in the normal-state Nernst coefficient, further supporting this interpretation. Given the model nature of Hg1201, Fermi-surface reconstruction appears to be common to all hole-doped cuprates, suggesting that density-wave order is a fundamental property of these materials.
The mystery of the normal state in the underdoped cuprates has deepened with the use of newer and complementary experimental probes. While photoemission studies have revealed solely `Fermi arcs centered on nodal points in the Brillouin zone at which holes aggregate upon doping, more recent quantum oscillation experiments have been interpreted in terms of an ambipolar Fermi surface, that includes sections containing electron carriers located at the antinodal region. To address the question of whether an ambipolar Fermi surface truly exists, here we utilize measurements of the second harmonic quantum oscillations, which reveal that the amplitude of these oscillations arises mainly from oscillations in the chemical potential, providing crucial information on the nature of the Fermi surface in underdoped YBa2Cu3O6+x. In particular, the detailed relationship between the second harmonic amplitude and the fundamental amplitude of the quantum oscillations leads us to the conclusion that there exists only a single underlying quasi-two dimensional Fermi surface pocket giving rise to the multiple frequency components observed via the effects of warping, bilayer splitting and magnetic breakdown. A range of studies suggest that the pocket is most likely associated with states near the nodal region of the Brillouin zone of underdoped YBa2Cu3O6+x at high magnetic fields.
There exists increasing evidence that the phase diagram of the high-transition temperature (Tc) cuprate superconductors is controlled by a quantum critical point. One distinct theoretical proposal is that, with decreasing hole-carrier concentration, a transition occurs to an ordered state with two circulating orbital currents per CuO2 square. Below the pseudogap temperature T* (T* > Tc), the theory predicts a discrete order parameter and two weakly-dispersive magnetic excitations in structurally simple compounds that should be measurable by neutron scattering. Indeed, novel magnetic order and one such excitation were recently observed. Here, we demonstrate for tetragonal HgBa2CuO4+d the existence of a second excitation with local character, consistent with the theory. The excitations mix with conventional antiferromagnetic fluctuations, which points toward a unifying picture of magnetism in the cuprates that will likely require a multi-band description.
The unclear relationship between cuprate superconductivity and the pseudogap state remains an impediment to understanding the high transition temperature (Tc) superconducting mechanism. Here we employ magnetic-field-dependent scanning tunneling microscopy to provide phase-sensitive proof that d-wave superconductivity coexists with the pseudogap on the antinodal Fermi surface of an overdoped cuprate. Furthermore, by tracking the hole doping (p) dependence of the quasiparticle interference pattern within a single Bi-based cuprate family, we observe a Fermi surface reconstruction slightly below optimal doping, indicating a zero-field quantum phase transition in notable proximity to the maximum superconducting Tc. Surprisingly, this major reorganization of the systems underlying electronic structure has no effect on the smoothly evolving pseudogap.
In order to understand the origin of superconductivity, it is crucial to ascertain the nature and origin of the primary carriers available to participate in pairing. Recent quantum oscillation experiments on high Tc cuprate superconductors have revealed the existence of a Fermi surface akin to normal metals, comprising fermionic carriers that undergo orbital quantization. However, the unexpectedly small size of the observed carrier pocket leaves open a variety of possibilities as to the existence or form of any underlying magnetic order, and its relation to d-wave superconductivity. Here we present quantum oscillations in the magnetisation (the de Haas-van Alphen or dHvA effect) observed in superconducting YBa2Cu3O6.51 that reveal more than one carrier pocket. In particular, we find evidence for the existence of a much larger pocket of heavier mass carriers playing a thermodynamically dominant role in this hole-doped superconductor. Importantly, characteristics of the multiple pockets within this more complete Fermi surface impose constraints on the wavevector of any underlying order and the location of the carriers in momentum space. These constraints enable us to construct a possible density-wave scenario with spiral or related modulated magnetic order, consistent with experimental observations.