No Arabic abstract
Charge density waves are a common occurrence in all families of high critical temperature superconducting cuprates. Although consistently observed in the underdoped region of the phase diagram and at relatively low temperatures, it is still unclear to what extent they influence the unusual properties of these systems. Using resonant x-ray scattering we carefully determined the temperature dependence of charge density modulations in (Y,Nd)Ba$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7-{delta}}$ for three doping levels. We discovered short-range dynamical charge density fluctuations besides the previously known quasi-critical charge density waves. They persist up to well above the pseudogap temperature T*, are characterized by energies of few meV and pervade a large area of the phase diagram, so that they can play a key role in shaping the peculiar normal-state properties of cuprates.
In the last few years charge density waves (CDWs) have been ubiquitously observed in high-temperature superconducting cuprates and are now the most investigated among the competing orders in the still hot debate on these systems. A wealth of new experimental data raise several fundamental issues that challenge the various theoretical proposals. Here, we account for the complex experimental temperature vs. doping phase diagram and we provide a coherent scenario explaining why different CDW onset curves are observed by different experimental probes and seem to extrapolate at zero temperature into seemingly different quantum critical points (QCPs) in the intermediate and overdoped region. We also account for the pseudogap and its onset temperature T*(p) on the basis of dynamically fluctuating CDWs. The nearly singular anisotropic scattering mediated by these fluctuations also account for the rapid changes of the Hall number seen in experiments and provides the first necessary step for a possible Fermi surface reconstruction fully establishing at lower doping. Finally we show that phase fluctuations of the CDWs, which are enhanced in the presence of strong correlations near the Mott insulating phase, naturally account for the disappearance of the CDWs at low doping with yet another QCP.
It has recently been established that the high temperature (high-Tc) superconducting state coexists with short-range charge-density-wave order and quenched disorder arising from dopants and strain. This complex, multiscale phase separation invites the development of theories of high temperature superconductivity that include complexity. The nature of the spatial interplay between charge and dopant order that provides a basis for nanoscale phase separation remains a key open question, because experiments have yet to probe the unknown spatial distribution at both the nanoscale and mescoscale (between atomic and macroscopic scale). Here we report micro X-ray diffraction imaging of the spatial distribution of both the charge-density-wave puddles (domains with only a few wavelengths) and quenched disorder in HgBa2CuO4+y, the single layer cuprate with the highest Tc, 95 kelvin. We found that the charge-density-wave puddles, like the steam bubbles in boiling water, have a fat-tailed size distribution that is typical of self-organization near a critical point. However, the quenched disorder, which arises from oxygen interstitials, has a distribution that is contrary to the usual assumed random, uncorrelated distribution. The interstitials-oxygen-rich domains are spatially anti-correlated with the charge-density-wave domains, leading to a complex emergent geometry of the spatial landscape for superconductivity.
High-quality polycrystalline samples of LaO0.5F0.5BiS2 were obtained using high-pressure synthesis technique. The LaO0.5F0.5BiS2 sample prepared by heating at 700 C under 2 GPa showed superconductivity with superconducting transition temperatures (Tc) of Tconset = 11.1 and Tczero = 8.5 K in the electrical resistivity measurements and Tconset = 11.5 and Tcirr = 9.4 K in the magnetic susceptibility measurements, which are obviously higher than those of the LaO0.5F0.5BiS2 polycrystalline samples obtained using conventional solid-state reaction. It was found that the high-Tc phase can be stabilized under high pressure and relatively-low annealing temperature. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the high-Tc phase possessed a small ratio of lattice constants of a and c, c/a.
In a recent paper by Husain et al. [PRX 9, 041062 (2019)], the two-particle electronic excitations in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x have been studied by Electron Energy-Loss Spectroscopy in reflection (R-EELS) in the strange metal range between underdoped and overdoped materials. The authors conclude that there are no well defined plasmons. Rather they obtain a momentum-independent continuum which they discuss in terms of holographic theories. In this Comment it is pointed out that the experimental results are in stark contrast to previous EELS in transmission (T-EELS), Resonant Inelastic X-ray Scattering (RIXS), and optical studies. The differences can be probably explained by an inaccurate momentum scale in the R-EELS experiments. Furthermore, it is shown, that many material specific experimental results from T-EELS, R-EELS, RIXS, and optical spectroscopy can be explained by a more traditional extended Lindhard model. This model describes the energy, the width, and the dispersion of normal and acoustic plasmons in cuprates, as well as the continuum. The latter is explained by electron-hole excitations inside a lifetime broadened conduction band. This continuum is directly related to the scattering rates of the charge carriers, which in turn, by a feed back process, lead to the continuum.
In hole-doped cuprates there is now compelling evidence that inside the pseudogap phase, charge order breaks translational symmetry leading to a reconstruction of the Fermi surface. In $YBa_2Cu_3O_y$ charge order emerges in two steps: a 2D order found at zero field and at high temperature inside the pseudogap phase, and a 3D order that is superimposed below the superconducting transition $T_c$ when superconductivity is weakened by a magnetic field. Several issues still need to be addressed such as the effect of disorder, the relationship between those charge orders and their respective impact on the Fermi surface. Here, we report high magnetic field sound velocity measurements of the 3D charge order in underdoped $YBa_2Cu_3O_y$ in a large doping range. We found that the 3D charge order exists over the same doping range as its 2D counterpart, indicating an intimate connection between the two distinct orders. Moreover, we argue that the Fermi surface is reconstructed above the onset temperature of 3D charge order.