The insulator-to-metal transition continues to be a challenging subject, especially when electronic correlations are strong. In layered compounds, such as La2-xSrxNiO4 and La2-xBaxCuO4, the doped charge carriers can segregate into periodically-spaced
charge stripes separating narrow domains of antiferromagnetic order. Although there have been theoretical proposals of dynamically fluctuating stripes, direct spectroscopic evidence of charge-stripe fluctuations has been lacking. Here we report the detection of critical lattice fluctuations, driven by charge-stripe correlations, in La2-xSrxNiO4 using inelastic neutron scattering. This scattering is detected at large momentum transfers where the magnetic form factor suppresses the spin fluctuation signal. The lattice fluctuations associated with the dynamic charge stripes are narrow in q and broad in energy. They are strongest near the charge stripe melting temperature. Our results open the way towards the quantitative theory of dynamic stripes and for directly detecting dynamical charge stripes in other strongly-correlated systems, including high-temperature superconductors such as La2-xSrxCuO4.
Stripe order where electrons self-organize into alternating periodic charge-rich and magnetically-ordered charge-poor parallel lines was proposed as a way of optimizing the kinetic energy of holes in a doped Mott insulator. Static stripes detected as
extra peaks in diffraction patterns, appear in a number of oxide perovskites as well as some other systems. The more controversial dynamic stripes, which are not detectable by diffraction, may be universally present in copper oxide superconductors. Thus it is important to learn how to detect dynamic stripes as well as to understand their influence on electronic properties. This review article focuses on lattice vibrations (phonons) that might show signatures of the charge component of dynamic stripes. The first part of the article describes recent progress in learning about how the phonon signatures of different types of electronic charge fluctuations including stripes can be distinguished from purely structural instabilities and from each other. Then I will focus on the evidence for dynamic stripes in the phonon spectra of copper oxide superconductors.
Chiral nematic liquid crystals sometimes form blue phases characterized by spirals twisting in different directions. By combining model calculations with neutron-scattering experiments, we show that the magnetic analogue of blue phases does form in t
he chiral itinerant magnet MnSi in a large part of the phase diagram. The properties of this blue phase explain a number of previously reported puzzling features of MnSi such as partial magnetic order and a two-component specific-heat and thermal-expansion anomaly at the magnetic transition.
We measured phonon frequencies and linewidths in doped and undoped BaFe2As2 single crystals by inelastic x-ray scattering and compared our results with density functional theory (DFT) calculations. In agreement with previous work, the calculated freq
uencies of some phonons depended on whether the ground state was magnetic or not and, in the former case, whether phonon wavevector was parallel or perpendicular to the magnetic ordering wavevector. The experimental results agreed better with the magnetic calculation than with zero Fe moment calculations, except the peak splitting expected due to magnetic domain twinning was not observed. Furthermore, phonon frequencies were unaffected by the breakdown of the magnetic ground state due to either doping or increased temperature. Based on these results we propose that phonons strongly couple not to the static order, but to high frequency magnetic fluctuations.
In Fe-As based superconductors magnetism and superconductivity show strong sensitivity to the lattice, suggesting a possibility of unconventional electron-phonon coupling. We investigated c-axis polarized phonons in doped and undoped BaFe2As2 by inel
astic X-ray scattering. Phonon peak positions and linewidths did not vary significantly as a function of doping either by Co or by K. The linewidth of the Fe vibration shows unusual wavevector-dependence, which may be due to hybridization with in-plane modes. Comparison with the density functional theory shows significant difference for the energy of the As-As vibrations (Raman active at the zone center) but not for the Fe-As vibrations (infrared-active at the zone center). This behavior cannot be explained by a 10% softening of Fe-As interaction strength as proposed previously for in-plane polarized vibrations.
Inelastic x-ray scattering (IXS) was used to study the Cu-O bond-stretching vibrations in the static stripe phase compound La1.48Nd0.4Sr0.12CuO4. It was found that the intrinsic width in Q-space of the previously reported huge anomalous phonon soften
ing and broadening is approximately 0.08r.l.u HWHM. A detailed comparison was also made to inelastic neutron scattering (INS) studies, which indicate a two-peak lineshape (with superimposed broad and narrow peaks) in the vicinity of the anomaly. The high resolution IXS data show that the narrow peak is mostly an artifact of the poor transverse Q-resolution of INS. Otherwise the agreement between the INS and IXS was excellent.
