The temperature dependence of the anisotropy of the superconducting state parameters, γ, was studied by torque magnetometry for the high temperature superconductor SmBa2Cu3Ox in magnetic fields of up to 9 T. The measurements were performed on four underdoped single crystals with oxygen contents corresponding to Tc's varying from 42.8 to 63.6 K. The anisotropy was found to be strongly temperature dependent, while only a weak dependence on the magnetic field was observed. No evidence for a field dependent superfluid density was found. Possible origins of the temperature dependence of the anisotropy are discussed.
We present results of angle-dependent magnetoresistance measurements and direct optical images of underdoped Ba(Fe$_{1-x}$Co$_x$)$_2$As$_2$ which reveal partial detwinning by action of a 14T magnetic field. Driven by a substantial magneto-elastic coupling, this result provides evidence for an electronic origin of the lattice distortion in underdoped iron pnictides. The observed anisotropy in these partially detwinned samples implies a substantial in-plane electronic anisotropy in the broken symmetry state, with a smaller resistivity along the antiferromagnetic ordering direction.
We report an anomalous local structural response in the CuO2 planes associated with the appearance of charge inhomogeneities at low temperature in underdoped but superconducting La2-x(Sr,Ba)xCuO4. We used pair distribution function analysis of neutron powder diffraction data. The increase in the Cu-O bond length distribution at low temperature has an onset temperature which correlates with observations of charge and spin freezing seen by other probes.
New tunneling data are reported in underdoped Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8-d using superconductor-insulator-superconductor break junctions. Energy gaps, Delta, of 51+2, 54+2 and 57+3 meV are observed for three crystals with Tc=77, 74, and 70 K respectively. These energy gaps are nearly three times larger than for overdoped crystals with similar Tc. Detailed examination of tunneling spectra over a wide doping range from underdoped to overdoped, including the Josephson IcRn product, indicate that these energy gaps are predominantly of superconducting origin.
We use inelastic neutron scattering to show that superconductivity in electron-underdoped NaFe0.985Co0.015As induces a dispersive sharp resonance near Er1 = 3:25 meV and a broad dis- persionless mode at Er2 = 6 meV. However, similar measurements on overdoped superconducting NaFe0:955Co0:045As find only a single sharp resonance at Er = 7 meV. We connect these results with the observations of angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy that the superconducting gaps in the electron Fermi pockets are anisotropic in the underdoped material but become isotropic in the overdoped case. Our analysis indi…
We systematically investigated the in-plane resistivity anisotropy of electron-underdoped $EuFe_{2-x}Co_xAs_2$ and $BaFe_{2-x}Co_xAs_2$, and hole-underdoped $Ba_{1-x}K_xFe_2As_2$. Large in-plane resistivity anisotropy was found in the former samples, while {\it tiny} in-plane resistivity anisotropy was detected in the latter ones. When it is detected, the anisotropy starts above the structural transition temperature and increases smoothly through it. As the temperature is lowered further, the anisotropy takes a dramatic enhancement through the magnetic transition temperature. We found that the…
Measurements of the angular dependence of conductance spectra in the a-b plane of underdoped YBCO junctions are reported. At zero magnetic field the superconducting gap shows a |d+is|-like symmetry. Application of a magnetic field strongly suppresses this gap leaving only the pseudogap feature which also shows a |d+is|-like angular dependence. We thus observe the same symmetry for the superconducting gap and the pseudogap characterizing the YBCO electrodes near the interface with the barrier. An H_{c2} value of about 5T of the secondary (is) order parameter can also be deduced from our results…
Polarized and unpolarized triple-axis spectrometry has been used to study an underdoped YBa_2Cu3O6.6. Our results indicate that spin excitations in the superconducting state are essentially the same as those in the fully doped material except that the unusual 41 meV resonance is observed at 34.8 meV. The normal state spin excitations are characterized by a weakly energy-dependent continuum whose temperature dependence shows the clear signature of a superconducting gap at Tc. The enhancement at the resonance is accompanied by a suppression of magnetic fluctuations at both higher and lower energ…
We study the reconfiguration of the angular resolved photoemission spectrum near $M$ point which occurs in Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CaCu$_2$O$_8$ upon cooling below the superconducting transition temperature. Restricting our attention to the case of underdoped samples we offer a phenomenological mechanism-independent argument which explains the emergence of a peak in the spectrum in terms of the normal state pseudogap. All of the basic experimental observations, including the peak dispersion, `dip-and-hump' shape of the superconducting state spectrum and appearance of the peak at the temperatures somewhat …
We report on results of our analysis of published experimental data of the in-plane infrared response of two representative underdoped high-$T_{\mathrm{c}}$ cuprate superconductors, focusing on a characteristic gap feature in the spectra of the real part of the conductivity and the corresponding structures of the memory function, that develop below a temperature $T^{\mathrm{ons}}$ considerably higher than $T_{\mathrm{c}}$. Several arguments based on comparisons of the data with results of our calculations are provided indicating that the features are due to superconductivity and that $T^{\math…
We have measured the superconducting critical temperature (Tc) and the diamagnetic susceptibility of La2-xSrxCuO4 single crystals in various magnetic fields. We observed a field-induced evolution from an apparent Tc phase to an intrinsic Tc1 = 15 K or Tc2 = 30 K phase characterized by "magic" hole concentration which is commensurate with that of a two dimensional electronic lattice. The onset Tc of the intrinsic superconducting phases remains robust up to H = 5 Tesla. We suggest that the intrinsic superconducting phases at "magic" doping concentrations are the pristine electronic phases of hig…
We report angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements of the excitation gap in underdoped superconducting thin films of Bi_2Sr_2Ca_{1-x}Dy_xCu_2O_{8+d}. As Tc is reduced by a factor of 2 by underdoping, the superconducting state gap Δdoes not fall proportionally, but instead stays constant or increases slightly, in violation of the BCS mean-field theory result. The different doping dependences of Δand kT_c indicate that they represent different energy scales. The measurements also show that Δis highly anisotropic and consistent with a d_{x^2-y^2} order parameter, as in previous stud…
The in-plane London penetration depth, $Δλ(T)$, was measured using a tunnel diode resonator in single crystals of Ba$_{1-x}$K$_x$Fe$_2$As$_2$ for five doping levels $x$ ranging from underdoped, $T_c$=11 K ($x$=0.17), to optimally doped, $T_c=$38 K ($x_\textmd{\scriptsize opt}$= 0.35). In the optimally doped samples, $Δλ(T)$ shows exponential saturation in $T \to 0$ limit suggesting a fully gapped superconductivity. The lowest-$T_c$ samples show much stronger non-exponential variation of $Δλ(T)$. Fitting the data to a power-law, $Δλ(T)= AT^n$, reveals a monotonic decrease of the exponent $n$ wi…
We have investigated the doping dependence of the penetration depth vs. temperature in electron doped Pr$_{2-x}$Ce$_x$CuO$_{4-δ}$ using a model which assumes the uniform coexistence of (mean-field) antiferromagnetism and superconductivity. Despite the presence of a $d_{x^2-y^2}$ pairing gap in the underlying spectrum, we find nodeless behavior of the low-$T$ penetration depth in underdoped case, in accord with experimental results. As doping increases, a linear-in-$T$ behavior of the penetration depth, characteristic of d-wave pairing, emerges as the lower magnetic band crosses the Fermi level…
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 $…
The role of antiferromagnetic spin correlations in high-temperature superconductors remains a matter of debate. We present inelastic neutron scattering evidence that gapless spin fluctuations coexist with superconductivity in La$_{1.905}$Ba$_{0.095}$CuO$_4$. Furthermore, we observe that both the low-energy magnetic spectral weight and the spin incommensurability are enhanced by the onset of superconducting correlations. We propose that the coexistence occurs through intertwining of spatial modulations of the pair wave function and the antiferromagnetic correlations. This proposal is also direc…
A wide-range doping was achieved by a high-pressure method for TbFeAsO1-x from "under doped" to "over doped" superconducting compositions throughout the optimized superconductivity (Tc of 44 K). Tc vs. lattice constant shows a dome-shaped feature, while Tc vs. the lattice constant likely follows a unique empirical curve over the doping range. The relatively large amount of oxygen vacancies up to 0.3 per the formula unit was introduced possibly because of the smaller replacement Tb than the other Ln (rare-earth element) in the LnFeAsO1-x system.
Measurements of thermal conductivity ($κ$) versus temperature and doping for several cuprate superconductors are discussed. Suppressed values of the normal-state $κ$ and the slope change in $κ$ at $T_c$, observed near 1/8 doping in both YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{6+x}$ and Hg cuprates, are attributed to local lattice distortions and the suppression of the superconducting condensate, respectively. Both phenomena are proposed to arise from small domains of localized planar holes, presumably a manifestation of phase separation. It is suggested that the phase behavior of $κ$ reflects stripe dynamics and the…
A nematic quantum critical point is anticipated to exist in the superconducting dome of some high-temperature superconductors. The nematic order competes with the superconducting order and hence reduces the superconducting condensate at $T = 0$. Moreover, the critical fluctuations of nematic order can excite more nodal quasiparticles out of the condensate. We address these two effects within an effective field theory and show that superfluid density $ρ^s(T)$ and superconducting temperature $T_c$ are both suppressed strongly by the critical fluctuations. The strong suppression of superconductiv…
Polarized inelastic neutron scattering experiments were performed to study magnetic excitations in the normal and superconducting phases of Co-underdoped BaFe$_2$As$_2$, which exhibits coexistence of antiferromagnetic order and superconductivity. In the normal state the antiferromagnetic order results in broadened spin gaps opening in all three spin directions that are reminiscent of the magnetic response in pure antiferromagnetic BaFe$_2$As$_2$. In particular longitudinal excitations exhibit a large gap. In the superconducting state we find two distinct resonance excitations, which both are a…
We report on a direct test of pairing fluctuations in the pseudogap regime of underdoped superconducting cuprates using a Josephson junction. In this experiment, the coupling between a rigid superconducting pair field and pairing fluctuations produces a strong specific signature in the current-voltage characteristics. Our results show that fluctuations survive only close to Tc (T-Tc<15K) and therefore cannot be responsible for the opening of the pseudogap at high temperature.
Microscopy (STM). At all dopings, the low energy density-of-states modulations are analyzed according to a simple model of quasiparticle interference and found to be consistent with Fermi-arc superconductivity. The superconducting coherence-peaks, ubiquitous in near-optimal tunneling spectra, are destroyed with strong underdoping and a new spectral type appears. Exclusively in regions exhibiting this new spectrum, we find local `checkerboard' charge-order with wavevector Q=(2pi/4.5a,0);(0,2pi/4.5a)+15%. Surprisingly, this order coexists harmoniously with the the low energy
We investigated the in-plane resistivity anisotropy for underdoped Ba(Fe$_{1-x}$Co$_x$)$_2$As$_2$ single crystals with improved quality. We demonstrate that the anisotropy in resistivity in the magnetostructural ordered phase arises from the anisotropy in the residual component which increases in proportion to the Co concentration $x$. This gives evidence that the anisotropy originates from the impurity scattering by Co atoms substituted for the Fe sites, rather than so far proposed mechanism such as the anisotropy of Fermi velocities of reconstructed Fermi surface pockets. As doping proceeds …
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…
Applying the recently developed spin-charge gauge theory for the pseudogap phase in cuprates, we propose a self-consistent explanation of several peculiar features of the far-infrared in-plane AC conductivity, including a broad peak as a function of frequency and significant anisotropy at low temperatures, along with a similar temperature-dependent in-plane anisotropy of DC conductivity in lightly doped cuprates. The anisotropy of the metal-insulator crossover scale is considered to be responsible for these phenomena. The obtained results are in good agreement with experiments. An explicit pro…
We report muon spin relaxation/rotation (uSR) measurements of single crystal Ba(Fe1-xCox)2As2 with x=0.038 and 0.047. Zero field (ZF)-uSR and Transverse field (TF)-iSR measurements of these underdoped samples find the presence of magnetism and superconductivity. We find internal fields along the c-axis whose magnitude decreases with increasing doping. We find evidence for a low-temperature volume fraction that is only weakly magnetic, where that volume fraction increases with increasing Co doping of the sample. TF-uSR measurements show slight changes in the spectra that indicate magnetic inhom…
The nodal $d_{x^2-y^2}$ superconducting gap is a hallmark of the cuprate high T$_c$ superconductors. Surprisingly recent angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy of deeply underdoped cuprates revealed a nodeless energy gap which is adhered to the Fermi surface. Importantly this phenomenon is observed for compounds across several different cuprate families. In this letter we propose an exciting possibility, namely the fully gapped state is a topological superconductor.
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.
With infrared spectroscopy we investigated the spin-reorientation transition from an orthorhombic antiferromagnetic (o-AF) to a tetragonal AF (t-AF) phase and the reentrance of the o-AF phase in the superconducting state of underdoped Ba$ _{1-x} $K$ _{x} $Fe$ _{2} $As$ _{2} $. In agreement with the predicted transition from a single-$\mathbf{Q}$ to a double-$\mathbf{Q}$ AF structure, we found that a distinct spin density wave (SDW) develops in the t-AF phase. The pair breaking peak of this SDW acquires much more low-energy spectral weight than the one in the o-AF state which indicates that it …
We use polarized inelastic neutron scattering (INS) to study spin excitations in superconducting NaFe0.985Co0.015As (C15) with static antiferromagnetic (AF) order along the a-axis of the orthorhombic structure and NaFe0.935Co0.045As (C45) without AF order. In previous unpolarized INS work, spin excitations in C15 were found to have a dispersive sharp resonance near Er1=3.25 meV and a broad dispersionless mode at Er2=6 meV. Our neutron polarization analysis reveals that the dispersive resonance in C15 is highly anisotropic and polarized along the a- and c-axis, while the dispersionless mode is …
We measure the penetration depth of optimally doped and underdoped La2-xCexCuO4 in the millimeter frequency domain (4 - 7 cm-1) and for temperatures 2 K < T < 300 K. The penetration depth as function of temperature reveals significant changes on electron doping. It shows quadratic temperature dependence in underdoped samples, but increases almost exponentially at optimal doping. Significant changes in the gap anisotropy (or even in the gap symmetry) may account for this transition.
One of the canons of condensed matter physics is the Onsager Reciprocity principle in systems in which the Hamiltonian commutes with the time-reversal operator. Recent results of measurements of the Nernst coefficient in underdoped YBa_2Cu_30_{6+x}, together with the measurements of the anisotropy of conductivity and the inferred anisotropy of the thermopower, imply that this principle is violated. The probable violation and its temperature dependence are shown to be consistent with the Loop-current phase which has been directly observed in other experiments. The violation is related directly …
The letter deals with the spin-freezing process observed by means of NMR-NQR relaxation or by muon spin rotation in underdoped cuprate superconductors. This phenomenon, sometimes referred as coexistence of antiferromagnetic and superconducting order parameters, is generally thought to result from randomly distributed magnetic moments related to charge inhomogeneities (possibly stripes) which exhibit slowing down of their fluctuations on cooling below T$_c$ . Instead, we describe the experimental findings as due to fluctuating, vortex-antivortex, orbital currents state coexisting with d-wave su…
The microscopic theory of superconducting (SC) state in the SU(2) slave-boson model is developed. We show how the pseudogap and Fermi surface (FS) segments in the normal state develop into a d-wave gap in the superconducting state. Even though the superfluid density is of order x (the doping concentration), the physical properties of the low lying quasiparticles are found to resemble those in BCS theory. Thus the microscopic theory lay the foundation for our earlier phenomenological discussion of the unusual SC properties in the underdoped cuprates.
We investigated the anisotropy in the in-plane optical spectra of detwinned Ba(Fe1-xCox)2As2. The optical conductivity spectrum of BaFe2As2 shows appreciable anisotropy in the magnetostructural ordered phase, whereas the dc resistivity is almost isotropic at low temperatures. Upon Co doping, the resistivity becomes highly anisotropic, while the finite-energy intrinsic anisotropy is suppressed. It is found that anisotropy in resistivity arises from anisotropic impurity scattering from doped Co atoms, extrinsic in origin. Intensity of a specific optical phonon mode is also found to show striking…
Raman and ARPES experiments have demonstrated that in superconducting underdoped cuprates nodal and antinodal regions are characterized by two energy scales instead of the one expected in BCS. The nodal scale decreases with underdoping while the antinodal one increases. Contrary to the behavior expected for an increasing energy scale, the antinodal Raman intensity decreases with decreasing doping. Using the Yang, Rice and Zhang (YRZ) model, we show that these features are a consequence of the non-conventional nature of the superconducting state in which superconductivity and pseudogap correlat…
Conventional superconductors are characterized by a single energy scale, the superconducting gap, which is proportional to the critical temperature Tc . In hole-doped high-Tc copper oxide superconductors, previous experiments have established the existence of two distinct energy scales for doping levels below the optimal one. The origin and significance of these two scales are largely unexplained, although they have often been viewed as evidence for two gaps, possibly of distinct physical origins. By measuring the temperature dependence of the electronic Raman response of Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+d (Bi-2…
We have revealed new features in the out-of-plane resistivity rho_c of heavily underdoped RBa_2Cu_3O_{6+x} (R=Tm,Lu) single crystals, which give evidence for two distinct mechanisms contributing the c-axis transport. We have observed a crossover towards "metal-like" (d rho_c/d T > 0) behavior at the temperature T_m which quickly increases with decreasing doping. The "metal-like" conductivity contribution dominates at T < T_m and provides a saturation of the resistivity anisotropy, rho_c / rho_{ab}. The antiferromagnetic ordering is found to block this "metal-like" part of the c-axis conductivi…
The parent phases of the Fe-arsenide superconductors harbor an antiferromagnetic ground state. Significantly, the Néel transition is either preceded or accompanied by a structural transition that breaks the four fold symmetry of the high-temperature lattice. Borrowing language from the field of soft condensed matter physics, this broken discrete rotational symmetry is widely referred to as an Ising nematic phase transition. Understanding the origin of this effect is a key component of a complete theoretical description of the occurrence of superconductivity in this family of compounds, motivat…
Although more than twenty years have passed since the discovery of high temperature cuprate superconductivity, the identification of the superconducting order parameter is still under debate. Here, we show that the nodal gap component is the best candidate for the superconducting order parameter. It scales with the critical temperature $T_c$ over a wide doping range and displays a significant temperature dependence below $T_c$ in both the underdoped and the overdoped regimes of the phase diagram. In contrast, the antinodal gap component does not scale with $T_c$ in the underdoped side and appe…
By measuring the superconducting diamagnetic moments for an underdoped and an overdoped La_{2-x}Sr_xCuO_4 single crystal with equal qualities and roughly equal transition temperatures, it is found that the underdoped sample has only one transition which corresponds to H_{c2}, but the overdoped sample has two transitions with the higher one at H_{c2}. Further investigation reveals the same upper-critical field H_{c2} for both samples although the overall charge densities are very different, indicating the possibility of a very direct and detailed equivalence of the superconducting condensation …
The superconducting state of underdoped cuprates is often described in terms of a single energy-scale, associated with the maximum of the (d-wave) gap. Here, we report on electronic Raman scattering results, which show that the gap function in the underdoped regime is characterized by two energy scales, depending on doping in opposite manners. Their ratios to the maximum critical temperature are found to be universal in cuprates. Our experimental results also reveal two different quasiparticle dynamics in the underdoped superconducting state, associated with two regions of momentum space: noda…
We present angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) data on moderately underdoped La$_{1.855}$Sr$_{0.145}$CuO$_4$ at temperatures below and above the superconducting transition temperature. Unlike previous studies of this material, we observe sharp spectral peaks along the entire underlying Fermi surface in the superconducting state. These peaks trace out an energy gap that follows a simple {\it d}-wave form, with a maximum superconducting gap of 14 meV. Our results are consistent with a single gap picture for the cuprates. Furthermore our data on the even more underdoped sample La$_{…
There is increasing experimental evidence that the superconducting energy gap $Δ_0$ in the underdoped cuprates is independent of doping concentration $x$ while the superfluid density is linear in $x$. We show that under these conditions, thermal excitation of the quasiparticles is very effective in destroying the superconducting state, so that $T_c$ is proportional to $xΔ_0$ and part of the gap structure remains in the normal state. We then estimate $H_{c2}$ and predict it to be proportional to $x^2$. We also discuss to what extent the assumptions that go into the quasiparticle description can…
We use inelastic neutron scattering (INS) to study the spin excitations in partially detwinned NaFe$_{0.985}$Co$_{0.015}$As which has coexisting static antiferromagnetic (AF) order and superconductivity ($T_c=15$ K, $T_N=30$ K). In previous INS work on a twinned sample, spin excitations form a dispersive sharp resonance near $E_{r1}=3.25$ meV and a broad dispersionless mode at $E_{r1}=6$ meV at the AF ordering wave vector ${\bf Q}_{\rm AF}={\bf Q}_1=(1,0)$ and its twinned domain ${\bf Q}_2=(0,1)$. For partially detwinned NaFe$_{0.985}$Co$_{0.015}$As with the static AF order mostly occurring at…
In earlier work, we have been concerned with the scaling properties of some classes of superconductors, specifically with heavy Fermion materials and with five bcc transition metals of BCS character. Both of these classes of superconductors were three-dimensional but here we are concerned solely with quasi-two-dimensional high-Tc cuprates in the underdoped region of their phase diagram. A characteristic feature of this part of the phase diagram is the existence of a pseudogap (pg). We therefore build our approach around the assumption that kB Tc / E_pg is the basic dimensionless ratio on which…
More than a quarter century after the discovery of the high temperature superconductor (HTS) YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{6+δ}$ (YBCO) studies continue to uncover complexity in its phase diagram. In addition to HTS and the pseudogap there is growing evidence for multiple phases with boundaries which are functions of temperature ($T$), doping (p) and magnetic field. Here we report the low temperature electronic specific heat (C$_{elec}$) of YBCO6.47 (p=0.08) up to a magnetic field (H) of 34.5 teslas (T), a poorly understood region of the underdoped H-$T$-p phase space. We observe two regimes: below a chara…
We present fermi liquid expressions for the low temperature behavior of the superfluid stiffness, explain why they differ from those suggested recently by Lee and Wen, and discuss their applicability to data on high-$T_c$ superconductors. We find that a consistent description requires a strong, doping dependent anisotropy, which affects states near the zone corners much more strongly than those near the zone diagonals.
One of the most remarkable properties of the high-temperature superconductors is a pseudogap regime appearing in the underdoped cuprates above the superconducting transition temperature T_c. The pseudogap continously develops out of the superconducting gap. In this paper, we demonstrate by means of a detailed comparison between theory and experiment that the characteristic change of quasiparticle dispersion in crossing T_c in the underdoped cuprates can be understood as being due to phase fluctuations of the superconducting order parameter. In particular, we show that within a phase fluctuatio…
A large positive magnetoresistivity (up to tens of percents) is observed in both underdoped and overdoped superconducting La2-xSrxCuO4 epitaxial thin films at temperatures far above the superconducting critical temperature Tc. For the underdoped samples, this magnetoresistance far above Tc cannot be described by the Kohler rule and we believe it is to be attributed to the influence of superconducting fluctuations. In the underdoped regime, the large magnetoresistance is only present when at low temperatures superconductivity occurs. The strong magnetoresistivity, which persists even at tempera…
The interplay between superconducting fluctuations and inhomogeneities presents a renewed interest due to recent works supporting an anomalous [beyond the conventional Gaussian-Ginzburg-Landau (GGL) scenario] diamagnetism above Tc in underdoped cuprates. This conclusion, mainly based in the observation of new anomalies in the low-field isothermal magnetization curves, is in contradiction with our earlier results in the underdoped La(1.9)Sr(0.1)CuO(4) [Phys. Rev. Lett. 84, 3157 (2000)]. These seemingly intrinsic anomalies are being presented in various influential works as a 'thermodynamic evid…
How does Fermi surface develop in cuprates upon doping of a parent Mott insulator, does it consist of large barrels or small pockets, which of them is responsible for superconductivity and what is a role of the pseudogap? Those are actively debated questions, important for understanding of high temperature superconductivity. Here we analyze doping dependence of interlayer tunneling in cuprates. We observe that with decreasing doping the supercurrent is rapidly decreasing, but the quasiparticle resistance at high bias remains almost unchanged. This indicates that Cooper pair and quasiparticle c…
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.
Phenomenological models for the antiferromagnetic (AF) vs. d-wave superconductivity competition in cuprates are studied using conventional Monte Carlo techniques. The analysis suggests that cuprates may show a variety of different behaviors in the very underdoped regime: local coexistence or first-order transitions among the competing orders, stripes, or glassy states with nanoscale superconducting (SC) puddles. The transition from AF to SC does not seem universal. In particular, the glassy state leads to the possibility of "colossal'' effects in some cuprates, analog of those in manganites. U…
I review some of the experimental evidence and theoretical arguments that suggest that pseudogap matter is a new form of matter that coexists with coherent electron matter in the normal state and with superconducting matter below the superconducting transition temperature. I describe work in progress on a phenomenological two-fluid description of the evolution of pseudogap behavior that offers an explanation for the unexpectedly simple scaling behavior for the uniform magnetic susceptibility found in the underdoped cuprates and use this to propose a physical picture of the underdoped cuprates …
The clearly resolved bilayer splitting in ARPES spectra of the underdoped Pb-Bi2212 compound rises the question of how the bonding and antibonding sheets of the Fermi surface are gapped in the superconducting state. Here we compare the superconducting gaps for both split components and show that within the experimental uncertainties they are identical. By tuning the relative intensity of the bonding and antibonding bands using different excitation conditions we determine the precise {\bf k}-dependence of the leading edge gap. Significant deviations from the simple cos($k_{x}$)-cos($k_{y}$) gap…
The recent discovery of superconductivity in infinite-layer nickelates generates tremendous research endeavors, but the ground state of their parent compounds is still under debate. Here, we report experimental evidences for the dominant role of Kondo scattering in the underdoped Nd1-xSrxNiO2 thin films. A resistivity minimum associated with logarithmic temperature dependence in both longitudinal and Hall resistivities are observed in the underdoped Nd1-xSrxNiO2 samples before the superconducting transition. A linear scaling behavior $σ_{xy}^{AHE}\simσ_{xx}$ between anomalous Hall conductivity…
The one-particle spectral function of a state formed by superconducting (SC) clusters is studied via Monte Carlo techniques. The clusters have similar SC amplitudes but randomly distributed phases. This state is stabilized by the competition with anti-ferromagnetism, after quenched disorder is introduced. Fermi arcs between the critical temperature Tc and the cluster formation temperature scale T* are observed, similarly as in the pseudo-gap state of the cuprates. The arcs originate at metallic regions in between the neighboring clusters that present large SC phase differences.
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…
High-temperature superconductivity in iron-arsenic materials (pnictides) near an antiferromagnetic phase raises the possibility of spin-fluctuation-mediated pairing. However, the interplay between antiferromagnetic fluctuations and superconductivity remains unclear in the underdoped regime, which is closer to the antiferromagnetic phase. Here we report that the superconducting gap of the underdoped pnictides scales linearly with the transition temperature, and that a distinct pseudogap coexisting with the SC gap develops on underdoping. This pseudogap occurs on Fermi surface sheets connected b…
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.
