发表机构
Tsinghua University; Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences; New Cornerstone Science Laboratory; Hefei National Laboratory（清华大学; 中国科学院物理研究所; 新基石科学实验室; 合肥国家实验室）
机构由 AI 辅助整理，请以论文原文为准。AI 中文总结
本文通过扫描隧道显微镜发现铜氧化物中八晶胞周期电子调制源于掺杂空穴形成的4a0分子轨道，并指出8a0配对密度波是掺杂足够高时出现的空间次谐波。
AI 中文摘要
具有八晶胞（8a0）周期的配对密度波（PDW）态被广泛认为是铜氧化物中的主要有序态，但其存在性和起源仍是激烈争论的主题。利用光谱成像扫描隧道显微镜，我们在空穴掺杂的Ca2CuO2Cl2铜氧化物的超导态和绝缘态中都观察到电子态约8a0周期的空间调制。我们发现，8a0空间图案是由掺杂空穴形成的分子轨道产生的，这些分子轨道以4a0*4a0的板块为基本单元进行组织。我们的结果确定了4a0分子轨道是铜氧化物中基本的电子构建块，而8a0 PDW则代表在足够高的掺杂下出现的空间次谐波。
英文摘要
The pair density wave (PDW) state with eight-unit-cell (8a0) periodicity has been widely regarded as the primary order in cuprates, yet its existence and origin remain subjects of intense debate. Using spectroscopic imaging scanning tunneling microscopy, we observe spatial modulations of the electronic states with approximately 8a0 periodicity in both the superconducting and insulating regimes of hole-doped Ca2CuO2Cl2 cuprate. We find that the 8a0 spatial patterns are generated by the formation of molecular orbitals by doped holes, which organize into 4a0*4a0 plaquettes as the basic unit. Our results identify the 4a0 molecular orbital as the fundamental electronic building block in cuprates, while the 8a0 PDW represents a spatial subharmonic that emerges at sufficiently high doping.
Commentsto appear in PRL
Journal refPhys. Rev. Lett. 137, 156001 (2026)
