We report scanning Hall probe microscopy of highly underdoped superconducting YBa_2Cu_3O_{6+x} with T_c ranging from 5 to 15 K which showed distinct flux bundles with less than one superconducting flux quantum (Phi_0) through the sample surface. The sub-Phi_0 features occurred more frequently for lower T_c, were more mobile than conventional vortices, and occurred more readily when the sample was cooled with an in-plane field component. We show that these features are consistent with kinked stacks of pancake vortices.
In underdoped YBa_2Cu_3O_x (YBCO) with x = 6.63, the opening of the pseudogap at T^* ~ 160 K has a strong effect on the Hall angle tan(theta). While the Hall response is significantly reduced, the diagonal current is relatively unaffected. The Hall conductivity suppression continues deep into the flux-flow state (from T_c to 40 K), as an anomalous suppression of the vortex Hall current.
Comin et al. [Science 347, 1335 (2015)] have interpreted their resonant X-ray scattering experiment as indicating that charge inhomogeneities in the family of high-temperature superconductors YBa2Cu3O6+y (YBCO) have the character of one-dimensional stripes rather than two-dimensional checkerboards. The present comment shows that one cannot distinguish between stripes and checkerboards on the basis of the above experiment.
Polarized and unpolarized neutron scattering has been used to determine the effect of superconductivity on the magnetic excitation spectra of YBa_2 Cu_3 O_{6.5} (T_c = 52K) and YBa_2 Cu_3 O_{6.7} (T_c = 67K). Pronounced enhancements of the spectral weight centered around 25 meV and 33 meV, respectively, are observed below T_c in both crystals, compensated predominantly by a loss of spectral weight at higher energies. The data provide important clues to the origin of the 40 meV magnetic resonance peak in YBa_2 Cu_3 O_7.
On the basis of negative transport coefficients, it has been argued that the quantum oscillations observed in underdoped YBa(2)Cu(3)O(6+x) in high magnetic fields must be due to antinodal electron pockets. We point out a counter example in which electron-like transport in a hole-doped cuprate is associated with Fermi-arc states. We also present evidence that the antinodal gap in YBa(2)Cu(3)O(6+x) is robust to modest applied magnetic fields. We suggest that these observations should be taken into account when interpreting the results of the quantum oscillation experiments.
We reanalyze the data on the in-plane far infrared conductivity of underdoped orthoII YBa$_{2}$Cu$_{3}$O$_{6.50}$ (YBCO$_{6.50}$) in terms of a model in which a pseudogap opens on part of the Fermi surface with the remaining ungaped piece proportional to the temperature. The motivation for our model comes from recent angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy data in underdoped Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CaCu$_2$O$_{8+δ}$ (Bi-2212), which have revealed the existence of arcs on the Fermi surface. We find the optical data to be consistent with arc formation. In addition we find some evidence that the electronic…
We show that lightly doped YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{6+y}$ has multiple holon pockets with different areas, which lead to multiple frequencies of magnetic quantum oscillations. Using neutron scattering data on incommensurate spin ordering we determine these areas, which yields frequencies in good agreement with experiments. Divergence of the effective mass observed in magnetic quantum oscillations indicates a quantum phase transition at the oxygen content $y\approx 0.48$. We argue that the transition is the onset of quasistatic incommensurate magnetic order predicted by theory and observed in neutron s…
The recent detection of charge-density modulations in YBa2Cu3Oy and other cuprate superconductors raises new questions about the normal state of underdoped cuprates. In one class of theories, the modulations are intertwined with pairing in a dual state, expected to persist up to high magnetic fields as a vortex liquid. In support of such a state, specific heat and magnetisation data on YBa2Cu3Oy have been interpreted in terms of a vortex liquid persisting above the vortex-melting field Hvs at T = 0. Here we report high-field measurements of the electrical and thermal Hall conductivities in YBa…
We report and analyze in-plane penetration depth measurements in YBa2Cu3O7-x taken close to the critical temperature Tc. In underdoped YBa2Cu3O6:59 we find consistent evidence for charged critical behavior. Noting that the effective dimensionless charge scales as 1/sqrt(Tc), this new critical behavior should be generically observable in suitably underdoped cuprates.
We have measured the effect of oxygen isotope substitution on the ab-plane reflectance of underdoped YBCO. The frequency shift of the transverse optic phonons due to the substitution of O-16 by O-18 yields an isotope effect of the expected magnitude for copper-oxygen stretching modes with alpha=0.5 +- 0.1. The reflectance shoulder at 400 - 500 cm^-1 shows a much smaller exponent of alpha=0.1 +- 0.1 in the normal state and alpha=0.23+- 0.1 in the superconducting state. These observations suggest that the shoulder is of electronic origin and not due to a phonon mode as has been suggested recentl…
We use magnetic force microscopy to both image and manipulate individual vortex lines threading single crystalline YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{6.4}$, a layered superconductor. We find that when we pull the top of a pinned vortex, it may not tilt smoothly. Sometimes, we observe a vortex to break into discrete segments that can be described as short stacks of pancake vortices, similar to the "kinked" structure proposed by Benkraouda and Clem. Quantitative analysis gives an estimate of the pinning force and the coupling between the stacks. Our measurements highlight the discrete nature of stacks of pancake …
The normal state in the hole underdoped copper oxide superconductors has proven to be a source of mystery for decades. The measurement of a small Fermi surface by quantum oscillations on suppression of superconductivity by high applied magnetic fields, together with complementary spectroscopic measurements in the hole underdoped copper oxide superconductors, point to a nodal electron pocket from charge order in YBa2Cu3O6+x. Here we report quantum oscillation measurements in the closely related stoichiometric material YBa2Cu4O8, which reveal similar Fermi surface properties to YBa2Cu3O6+x, desp…
In a recent Letter [Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 207001 (2006)], Doiron-Leyraud et al. reported a study of low-temperature thermal conductivity of underdoped YBa2Cu3Oy across the superconductor-insulator boundary and argued for a novel bosonic mode as well as charge-neutral fermions. In this Comment, we show that both of these claims are dubious.
The real part of the in-plane optical self-energy data in underdoped Bi$_{2}$Sr$_{2}$CaCu$_{2}$O$_{8+δ}$ (Bi-2212) and ortho II YBa$_{2}$Cu$_{3}$O$_{6.5}$ contains new and important information on the pseudogap. Using a theoretical model approach we find that the density of state lost below the pseudogap $Δ_{pg}$ is accompanied with a pileup just above this energy. The pileup along with a sharp mode in the bosonic spectral function leads to an unusually rapid increase in the optical scattering rate and a characteristically sloped peak in the real part of the optical self-energy. These features…
We have performed ellipsometric measurements of the far-infrared c-axis dielectric response of underdoped YBa$_{2}$Cu$_{3}$O$_{7-δ}$ single crystals. Here we report a detailed analysis of the temperature-dependent renormalization of the oxygen bending phonon mode at 320 cm$^{-1}$ and the formation of the additional absorption peak around 400-500 cm$^{-1}$. For a strongly underdoped YBa$_{2}$Cu$_{3}$O$_{6.5}$ crystal with T$_{c}$=52 K we find that, in agreement with previous reports based on conventional reflection measurements, the gradual onset of both features occurs well above T$_{c}$ at T*…
The thermal conductivity $κ$ of underdoped \Y was measured in the $T \to 0$ limit as a function of hole concentration $p$ across the superconducting critical point at $p_{SC}$ = 5.0%. ``Time doping'' was used to resolve the evolution of bosonic and fermionic contributions with high accuracy. For $p \leqslant p_{SC}$, we observe an additional $T^3$ contribution to $κ$ which we attribute to the boson excitations of a phase with long-range spin or charge order. Fermionic transport, manifest as a linear term in $κ$, is seen to persist unaltered through $p_{SC}$, showing that the state just below $…
We present the fabrication and electrical transport characterization of underdoped YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7-δ}$ nanowires. The nanowires have been realized without any protective capping layer and they show transport properties similar to those of the parent thin film, demonstrating that they have not been damaged by the nanopatterning. The current-voltage characteristics of the underdoped nanowires show large hysteretic voltage switching at the critical current, in contrast to the flux-flow like characteristics of optimally doped nanostructures, indicating the formation of a self-stabilizing hot sp…
The investigation of the penetration depth λ_{ab}(T,p) in YBa_2Cu_3O_{7-x} crystals allowed to observe the following features of the superfluid density n_s(T,p)\propto λ_{ab}^{-2}(T,p) as a function of temperature T<Tc/2 and carrier concentration 0.078\le p\le 0.16 in CuO_2 planes: (i) n_s(0,p) depends linearly on p, (ii) the derivative |dn_s(T,p)/dT|_{T\to 0} depends on p slightly in the optimally and moderately doped regions (0.10<p\le 0.16); however, it rapidly increases with p further lowering and (iii) the latter finding is accompanied by the linear low-temperature dependence [-Δn_s(T)]\p…
A superconducting transition in the temperature dependence of the ab-plane resistivity of underdoped YBa_2Cu_3O_{6+x} crystals in the range T_c<30 K has been investigated. Unlike the case of samples with the optimal level of doping, the transition width increased insignificantly with magnetic field, and in the range T_c<13 K it decreased with increasing magnetic field. The transition point T_c(B) was determined by analyzing the fluctuation conductivity. The curves of B_{c2}(T) measured in the region T/T_c>0.1 did not show a tendency to saturation and had a positive second derivative everywhere…
The cuprate superconductor YBa$_2$Cu$_4$O$_8$, in comparison with most other cuprates, has a stable stoichiometry, is largely free of defects and may be regarded as the canonical underdoped cuprate, displaying marked pseudogap behaviour and an associated distinct weakening of superconducting properties. This cuprate `pseudogap' manifests as a partial gap in the electronic density of states at the Fermi level and is observed in most spectroscopic properties. After several decades of intensive study it is widely believed that the pseudogap closes, mean-field like, near a characteristic temperatu…
We have measured the extended x-ray absorption-fine-structure (EXAFS) at the Y-K edge of YBa_2Cu_3O_x for x=6.801, 6.947, 6.968, 6.984 at T=20-300 K. Across the underdoped-overdoped transition the Y-Cu2 pairs exhibit harmonic vibrations which freeze out in the superconducting phase, whereas the Y-O2,3 pairs exhibit strong anharmonicities with a singularity at T_c. In the underdoped regime the average spacing O2,3-Cu2 increases with x due to displacements of Cu2 towards Ba, but the average position of O2,3 along c is almost unaffected. Optimum doping is a notable point in the x-T phase diagram,…
Oxygen doping in metallic YBa_2Cu_3O_x induces quadrupolar "alpha-ortho'', and breathing "beta-ortho" deformations of the CuO_2 planes. Breathing beta-ortho deformations favour hybridizations of the pd sigma Cu3d_x^2-y^2 - O2p_x,y with the pd pi Cu3d_x,z, 3d_y,z-O2p_z bands relaxing the confinement of the carriers in the overdoped regime, x>6.95.
We present here high precision magnetisation measurements in polycrystalline $YBa_2Cu_3O_{x}$ samples, with oxygen content ranging from $x=6.19$ to $x=7.00$. By analysing the temperature derivative of the susceptibility, we found in the underdoped superconducting samples a singular point at a temperature corresponding to $T_{mag}$, the temperature below which polarised neutrons experiments have evidenced a symmetry breaking. We believe that this is a thermodynamic indication for the existence of a phase transition in the pseudogap state of underdoped $YBa_2Cu_3O_{x}$.
We report magnetoresistivity measurements on strongly underdoped YBa_2Cu_3O_x (x=6.25, 6.36) single crystals in applied magnetic fields H || c-axis. We identify two different contributions to both in-plane and out-of-plane magnetoresistivities. The first contribution has the same sign as the temperature coefficient of the resistivity \partial ln(ρ_i)/\partial T (i={c,ab}). This contribution reflects the incoherent nature of the out-of-plane transport. The second contribution is positive, quadratic in field, with an onset temperature that correlates to the antiferromagnetic ordering.
Conductivity due to superconducting fluctuations studied in optimally doped YBa2Cu3O7-d films displays a stronger decay law in temperature than explainable by theory. A formula is proposed, which fits the data very well with two superconductive parameters, Tc and the coherence length ksi_c0, and an energy scale Delta*. This is also valid in underdoped materials and enables to describe the conductivity up to 300 K with a single-particle excitations channel in parallel with a channel whose contribution is controlled by ksi_c0, Tc and Delta*. This allows to address the nature of the pseudogap in …
We report a site-selective ^{17}O spin-lattice relaxation rate T_1^{-1} in the vortex state of underdoped YBa_2Cu_4O_8. We found that T_1^{-1} at the planar sites exhibits an unusual nonmonotonic NMR frequency dependence. In the region well outside the vortex core, T_1^{-1} cannot be simply explained by the density of states of the Doppler-shifted quasiparticles in the d-wave superconductor. Based on T_1^{-1} in the vortex core region, we establish strong evidence that the local density of states within the vortex core is strongly reduced.
We investigate the electron-boson spectral density function, $I^2χ(ω,T)$, of CuO$_2$ plane in underdoped Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CaCu$_2$O$_{8+δ}$ (Bi-2212) and underdoped YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{6.50}$ (Y-123) using the Eliashberg formalism. We apply a new (in-plane) pseudogap model to extract the electron-boson spectral function. For extracting the spectral function we assume that the spectral density function consists of two components: a sharp mode and the broad Millis-Monien-Pines (MMP) mode. We observe that both the resulting spectral density function and the intensity of the pseudogap show strong temperat…
High resolution measurements of superfluid density and broadband quasiparticle conductivity have been used to probe the low energy excitation spectrum of nodal quasiparticles in underdoped YBCO. Penetration depth is measured to temperatures as low as 0.05 K. Microwave conductivity is measured from 0.1 to 20 GHz and is a direct probe of zero-energy quasiparticles. The data are compared with predictions for a number of theoretical scenarios that compete with or otherwise modify pure d-wave superconductivity, in particular commensurate and incommensurate spin and charge density waves; d + i s and…
We describe from advanced first principles calculations the energetics of oxygen doping and its relation to insulator-metal transitions in underdoped YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{6+x}$. We find a strong tendency of doping oxygens to order into non-magnetic Cu$^{1+}$O$_x$ chains at any $x$. Ordering produces one-dimensional metallic bands, while configurations with non-aligned oxygens are insulating. The Cu$^{2+}$O$_2$ planes remain insulating and antiferromagnetic up to a threshold between $x$=0.25 and 0.5, above which a paramagnetic normal-metal state prevails. The in-plane antiferro-paramagnetic competi…
By improving the experimental conditions and extensive data accumulation, we have achieved very high-precision in the measurements of the de Haas-van Alphen effect in the underdoped high-temperature superconductor YBa$_{2}$Cu$_{3}$O$_{6.5}$. We find that the main oscillation, so far believed to be single-frequency, is composed of three closely spaced frequencies. We attribute this to bilayer splitting and warping of a single quasi-2D Fermi surface, indicating that \emph{c}-axis coherence is restored at low temperature in underdoped cuprates. Our results do not support the existence of a larger…
The normal state of optimally doped cuprates is dominated by the "strange metal" phase that shows a linear temperature ($T$) dependence of the resistivity persisting down to the lowest $T$. For underdoped cuprates this behavior is lost below the pseudogap temperature $T^*$, where Charge Density Waves (CDW) together with other intertwined local orders characterize the ground state. Here we show that the $T$-linear resistivity of highly strained, ultrathin and underdoped YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7-δ}$ films is restored when the CDW amplitude, detected by Resonant Inelastic X-ray scattering, is suppresse…
Recent inelastic neutron scattering measurements found that the spin susceptibility of detwinned and highly ordered ortho-II YBa_2Cu_3O_{6.5} exhibits, in both the normal and superconducting states, one-dimensional incommensurate modulations at low energies which were interpreted as a signature of dynamic stripes. We propose an alternative model based on quasiparticle transitions between the arcs of a truncated Fermi surface. Such transitions are resonantly enhanced by scattering to the triplet spin resonance. We show that the anisotropy in the experimental spin response is consistent with thi…
In recent photodoping experiments Decca et al. [PRL 85, 3708 (2000)] have observed an unusually long-ranged proximity effect between the superconducting and insulating phases of YBCO. Here we critically examine the claim in that reference that such long range is anomalous. We show that, once the novel nature of the experiments has been properly accounted for, the conventional theory of the proximity effect predicts comparably long ranges.
We report a comprehensive polarized and unpolarized neutron scattering study of the evolution of the dynamical spin susceptibility with temperature and doping in three underdoped single crystals of the \YBCO{6+x} high temperature superconductor: \YBCO{6.5} (Tc = 52 K), \YBCO{6.7} (Tc = 67 K), and \YBCO{6.85} (T_c = 87 K). Theoretical implications of these data are discussed, and a critique of recent attempts to relate the spin excitations to the thermodynamics of high temperature superconductors is given.
Hole-doped high-temperature cuprate superconductors below optimum doping have small electron-like Fermi surfaces occupying a small fraction of the Brillouin zone. There is strong evidence that this is linked to charge density wave (CDW) order, which reconstructs the large hole-like Fermi surfaces predicted by band structure calculations . Recent experiments have revealed the structure of the two CDW components in the benchmark bilayer material YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7-x}$ in high field where quantum oscillation (QO) measurements are performed. We have combined these results with a tight-binding desc…
The application of large magnetic fields ($B \sim B_{c2}$) to layered cuprates suppresses their high temperature superconducting behaviour and reveals competing ground states. In the widely-studied material YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{6+x}$ (YBCO), underdoped ($p \sim 1/8$) samples show signatures of field-induced electronic and structural changes at low temperatures. However, the microscopic nature of the field-induced reconstruction and the high-field state are unclear. Here we report an x-ray study of the high-field charge density wave (CDW) in YBCO, for doping, $0.1 \lesssim p \lesssim 0.13$. For $p …
We report properties of topological insulator - ferromagnet - superconductor trilayers comprised of thin films of 20 nm thick $\rm Bi_2Se_3$ on 10 nm $\rm SrRuO_3$ on 30 nm $\rm YBa_2Cu_3O_x$. As deposited trilayers are underdoped and have a superconductive transition with $\rm T_c$ onset at 75 K, zero resistance at 65 K, $\rm T_{Cueri}$ at 150 K and $\rm T^*$ of about 200 K. Further reannealing under vacuum yields the 60 K phase of $\rm YBa_2Cu_3O_x$ which still has zero resistance below about 40 K. Only when $10\times 100$ micro-bridges were patterned in the trilayer, some of the bridges sho…
We report quantum oscillations in underdoped YBa2Cu3O6.56 over a significantly large range in magnetic field extending from 24 to 101 T, enabling three well-spaced low frequencies at 440 T, 532 T, and 620 T to be clearly resolved. We show that a small nodal bilayer coupling that splits a nodal pocket into bonding and antibonding orbits yields a sequence of frequencies, F0 - ΔF, F0, and F0 + ΔF and accompanying beat pattern similar to that observed experimentally, on invoking magnetic breakdown tunneling at the nodes. The relative amplitudes of the multiple frequencies observed experimentally i…
We present local optical measurements of thermal diffusivity in the $ab$ plane of underdoped YBCO crystals. We find that the diffusivity anisotropy is comparable to reported values of the electrical resistivity anisotropy, suggesting that the anisotropies have the same origin. The anisotropy drops sharply below the charge order transition. We interpret our results through a strong electron-phonon scattering picture and find that both electronic and phononic contributions to the diffusivity saturate a proposed bound. Our results suggest that neither well-defined electron nor phonon quasiparticl…
We report a polarized neutron scattering study of the orbital-like magnetic order in strongly underdoped ${\rm YBa_2Cu_3O_{6.45}}$ and ${\rm YBa_2(Cu_{0.98}Zn_{0.02})_3O_{6.6}}$. Their hole doping levels are located on both sides of the critical doping $p_{MI}$ of a metal-insulator transition inferred from transport measurements. Our study reveals a drop down of the orbital-like order slightly below $p_{MI}$ with a steep decrease of both the ordering temperature $T_{mag}$ and the ordered moment. Above $p_{MI}$, substitution of quantum impurities does not change $T_{mag}$, whereas it lowers sig…
We present a study of the in-plane and out-of-plane magnetoresistance (MR) in heavily-underdoped, antiferromagnetic YBa_2Cu_3O_{6+x}, which reveals a variety of striking features. The in-plane MR demonstrates a "d-wave"-like anisotropy upon rotating the magnetic field H within the ab plane. With decreasing temperature below 20-25 K the system acquires memory: exposing a crystal to the magnetic field results in a persistent in-plane resistivity anisotropy. The overall features can be explained by assuming that the CuO_2 planes contain a developed array of stripes accommodating the doped holes, …
In a recent Comment [arXiv:0711.4654], Y. Ando raises two valid issues in relation to our low-temperature heat transport study of YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_y$ across the insulator-to-superconductor boundary: 1) the possible role of twin boundaries in scattering phonons; 2) the best fitting procedure for extracting a fermionic (linear) term from the data. In this Reply, we show that both concerns can be laid to rest by 1) using new data from a tetragonal (twin-free) sample, and 2) using an analysis that does not involve any fitting.
We present a neutron-scattering study of the static and dynamic spin correlations in the underdoped high-temperature superconductor YBa(2)Cu(3)O(6.45) in magnetic fields up to 15 T. The field strongly enhances static incommensurate magnetic order at low temperatures and induces a spectral-weight shift in the magnetic-excitation spectrum. A reconstruction of the Fermi surface driven by the field-enhanced magnetic superstructure may thus be responsible for the unusual Fermi surface topology revealed by recent quantum-oscillation experiments.
The de Haas-van Alphen effect was observed in the underdoped cuprate YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{6.5}$ via a torque technique in pulsed magnetic fields up to 59 T. Above an irreversibility field of $\sim$30 T, the magnetization exhibits clear quantum oscillations with a single frequency of 540 T and a cyclotron mass of 1.76 times the free electron mass, in excellent agreement with previously observed Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations. The oscillations obey the standard Lifshitz-Kosevich formula of Fermi-liquid theory. This thermodynamic observation of quantum oscillations confirms the existence of a well-de…
We report magnetoconductivity measurements on YBa_2Cu_3O_x (x=6.25 and 6.36) single crystals. Our main result is that both the in-plane Delta_sigma_ab and out-of-plane Delta_sigma_c magnetoconductivities exhibit the field dependence characteristic of "two-dimensional" quantum interference in applied magnetic fields H parallel to the c-axis. Namely, Delta_sigma_c,ab are proportional to ln(H/H_0), with Delta_sigma_c/sigma_c substantially greater than Delta_sigma_ab/sigma_ab. We interpret this result as evidence of interlayer incoherence in these crystals, so that the phase-coherent trajectories …
Shubnikov-de Haas and de Haas-van Alphen effects have been measured in the underdoped high temperature superconductor YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{6.51}$. Data are in agreement with the standard Lifshitz-Kosevitch theory, which confirms the presence of a coherent Fermi surface in the ground state of underdoped cuprates. A low frequency $F = 530 \pm 10$ T is reported in both measurements, pointing to small Fermi pocket, which corresponds to 2% of the first Brillouin zone area only. This low value is in sharp contrast with that of overdoped Tl$_2$Ba$_2$CuO$_{6+δ}$, where a high frequency $F = 18$ kT has bee…
Inelastic neutron scattering has been used to determine the dynamic spin fluctuations in an underdoped high temperature superconductor YBCO_{6.8} single crystal. The magnetic resonance, that occurs around 40 meV in overdoped samples, is shifted to a lower energy, E_r= 34 meV. A constant ratio, $E_r/ k_B T_C= 4.9 \pm 0.2$, almost independent of the doping level, is found. According to numerous theoretical approaches, this finding supports the idea that the resonance energy is proportional (approximately twice) to the superconducting gap.
Vortices in a type-II superconductor form a lattice structure that melts when the thermal displacement of the vortices is an appreciable fraction of the distance between vortices. In an anisotropic high-Tc superconductor, such as YBa2Cu3Oy, the magnetic field value where this melting occurs can be much lower than the mean-field critical field Hc2. We examine this melting transition in YBa2Cu3Oy with oxygen content y from 6.45 to 6.92, and fit the data to a theory of vortex-lattice melting. The quality of the fits indicates that the transition to a resistive state is indeed the vortex lattice m…
The magnetization of three high-quality single crystals of YBa$_{2}$Cu$_{3}$O$_{6+x}$, from slightly overdoped to heavily underdoped,has been measured using torque magnetometry. Striking effects in the angular dependence of the torque for the two underdoped crystals, a few degrees above the superconducting transition temperature ($T_c$) are described well by the theory of Gaussian superconducting fluctuations using a single adjustable parameter. The data at higher temperatures ($T$) are consistent with a strong cut-off in the fluctuations for $T\gtrsim1.1T_c$. Numerical estimates suggest that …
Torque magnetization measurements on YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{y}$ (YBCO) at doping $y=6.67$($p=0.12$), in DC fields ($B$) up to 33 T and temperatures down to 4.5 K, show that weak diamagnetism persists above the extrapolated irreversibility field $H_{\rm irr} (T=0) \approx 24$ T. The differential susceptibility $dM/dB$, however, is more rapidly suppressed for $B\gtrsim 16$ T than expected from the properties of the low field superconducting state, and saturates at a low value for fields $B \gtrsim 24$ T. In addition, torque measurements on a $p=0.11$ YBCO crystal in pulsed field up to 65 T and tempera…
A structural phase transformation in the CuO_2 planes of YBa_2Cu_3O_x has been observed at the onset of the overdoped regime, x=6.95. We have measured as a function of x the dimpling in the CuO_2 planes by EXAFS, and the O2,3 in-phase (A_1g) mode by Raman scattering. The data show for x>6.95 anomalously large static displacements of the Cu2 atoms off the O2,3 layer, and a gap in the distribution of the O2,3 in-phase Raman shifts. We conclude the structure of overdoped YBa_2Cu_3O_x to be a martensitic form of the structure most favourable for the superconductivity, and possibly at the origin of…
The spatially-resolved relaxation characteristics of photoinduced quasiparticles (QPs) in CuO$sub 2$ planes of underdoped YBCO are disclosed by polarized fs time-resolved spectroscopy. The relaxation time (tau) along b axis diverges at Tc, and appears to be governed by a temperature-dependent gap Delta(T) at T < Tc. Furthermore, for T > Tc, a monotonic increase of tau with decreasing T along the b axis and ab diagonal was observed and can be attributed to a temperature-independent gap Delta$sub p$. The results lend support to recombination dominant scenario of QP dynamics. However, the QP ther…
Magnetization and 63Cu NMR-NQR relaxation measurements are used to study the superconducting fluctuations in YBa2Cu3O6+x (YBCO) oriented powders. In optimally doped YBCO the fluctuating negative magnetization M_{fl}(H,T) is rather well described by an anisotropic Ginzburg-Landau (GL) functional and the curves M_{fl}/sqrt{H} cross at Tc. In underdoped YBCO, instead, over a wide temperature range an anomalous diamagnetism is observed, stronger than in the optimally doped compound by about an order of magnitude. The field and temperature dependences of M_{fl} cannot be described either by an anis…
We report on a contrasting behavior of the in-plane and out-of-plane magnetoresistance (MR) in heavily underdoped antiferromagnetic (AF) YBa_2Cu_3O_{6+x} (x<0.37). The out-of-plane MR (I//c) is positive over most of the temperature range and shows a sharp increase, by about two orders of magnitude, upon cooling through the Neel temperature T_N. A contribution associated with the AF correlations is found to dominate the out-of-plane MR behavior for H//c from far above T_N, pointing to the key role of spin fluctuations in the out-of-plane transport. In contrast, the transverse in-plane MR (I//a(…
We studied local electronic states near Zn in optimally doped YBa$_2$(Cu$_{1-x}$Zn_x)$_3$O$_{7-δ}$ and underdoped YBa$_2$(Cu$_{1-x}$Zn_x)$_4$O$_8$ via satellite signals of plane-site Cu(2) nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) spectra. From the relative intensity of Cu NQR spectra, the satellite signals are assigned to Zn-neighbor Cu NQR lines. The Cu nuclear spin-lattice relaxation time of the satellite signal is shorter than that of the main signal, which indicates that the magnetic correlation is locally enhanced near Zn both for the underdoped and the optimally doped systems. The pure YBa$_2$…
We report a $^{63}$Cu NMR investigation in detwinned YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_y$ single crystals, focusing on the highly underdoped regime (y=6.35-6.6). Measurements of both the spectra and the spin-lattice relaxation rates of $^{63}$Cu uncover the emergence of static order at a well-defined onset temperature $T_0$ without a known order parameter as yet. While $T_0$ is rapidly suppressed with increasing hole doping concentration $p$, the spin pseudogap was identified only near and above the doping content at which $T_0\rightarrow 0$. Our data indicate the presence of a critical hole doping $p_c\sim 0.1…
Strong evidence for charge-density correlation in the underdoped phase of the cuprate YBa2Cu3Oy was obtained by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and resonant x-ray scatter- ing. The fluctuations were found to be enhanced in strong magnetic fields. Recently, 3D (three dimensional) charge-density wave (CDW) formation with long-range order (LRO) was observed by x-ray diffraction in H >15 T. To elucidate how the CDW transition impacts the pair condensate, we have used torque magnetization to 45 T and thermal conductivity $κ_{xx}$ to construct the magnetic phase diagram in untwinned crystals with h…
Muon spin rotation measurements of the magnetic field distribution in the vortex state of the oxygen deficient high-Tc superconductor YBa{2}Cu{3}O{6.60} reveal a vortex-lattice melting transition at much lower temperature than that in the fully oxygenated material. The transition is best described by a model in which adjacent layers of ``pancake'' vortices decouple in the liquid phase. Evidence is also found for a pinning-induced crossover from a solid 3D to quasi-2D vortex lattice, similar to that observed in the highly anisotropic superconductor Bi{2+x}Sr{2-x}CaCu{2}O{8+y}.
A detailed inelastic neutron scattering study of the in-plane anisotropy of magnetic excitations in twin-free YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{6.6}$ ($T_c =$ 61 K) reveals that the spin excitation spectra in the superconducting and normal states are qualitatively different. Below $T_c$, the spectrum consists of upward- and downward-dispersing branches with modest in-plane anisotropy merging at an energy $E_{res} =$ 37.5 meV. In the normal state, the singularity at $E_{res}$ disappears, and the spectrum exhibits a steep dispersion with a strongly anisotropic in-plane geometry. These data have important implica…
Using neutron scattering we have determined the magnetic structure and fluctuations in the YBa2Cu3O6.35 superconductor (Tc=18 K). The long-range ordered collinear spins of the insulating antiferromagnet are replaced by a commensurate central mode arising from slow, isotropically polarized, short-range spin correlations. The inelastic spectrum up to 30 meV is broad in wave vector and commensurate. In contrast to the the resonance peak of higher Tc superconductors, the spins exhibit a single overdamped spectrum whose rate of relaxation decreases on cooling and saturates at 5 meV below 50 K. As t…
