Angular fluctuations of a multi-component order describe the pseudogap regime of the cuprate superconductors

2013/09/30 by Lauren E. Hayward, David G. Hawthorn, Roger G. Melko +1
Physics and Astronomy · #cond-mat.supr-con #cond-mat.str-el #hep-th

paper · pdf · doi:10.1126/science.1246310

published as Science 343, 1336 (2014) · 10+9 pages, 8 figures

arxiv created 2013/12/26 · arxiv updated 2014/03/24

Abstract

The hole-doped cuprate high temperature superconductors enter the pseudogap regime as their superconducting critical temperature, T_c, falls with decreasing hole density. Experiments have probed this regime for over two decades, but we argue that decisive new information has emerged from recent X-ray scattering experiments (arXiv:1207.0915, arXiv:1206.4333, arXiv:1207.3667). The experiments observe incommensurate charge density wave fluctuations whose strength rises gradually over a wide temperature range above T_c, but then decreases as the temperature is lowered below T_c. We propose a theory in which the superconducting and charge-density wave orders exhibit angular fluctuations in a 6-dimensional space. The theory provides a natural quantitative fit to the X-ray data, and can be a basis for understanding other characteristics of the pseudogap.

Citations

• Direct observation of competition between superconductivity and charge density wave order in YBa2Cu3Oy
• Distinct Charge Orders in the Planes and Chains of Ortho-III-Ordered YBa₂Cu₃O_6+δ Superconductors Identified by Resonant Elastic X-ray Scattering