229 research outputs found
Atomic-scale images of charge ordering in a mixed-valence manganite
Transition-metal perovskite oxides exhibit a wide range of extraordinary but
imperfectly understood phenomena. Charge, spin, orbital, and lattice degrees of
freedom all undergo order-disorder transitions in regimes not far from where
the best-known of these phenomena, namely high-temperature superconductivity of
the copper oxides, and the 'colossal' magnetoresistance of the manganese
oxides, occur. Mostly diffraction techniques, sensitive either to the spin or
the ionic core, have been used to measure the order. Unfortunately, because
they are only weakly sensitive to valence electrons and yield superposition of
signals from distinct mesoscopic phases, they cannot directly image mesoscopic
phase coexistence and charge ordering, two key features of the manganites. Here
we describe the first experiment to image charge ordering and phase separation
in real space with atomic-scale resolution in a transition metal oxide. Our
scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) data show that charge order is correlated
with structural order, as well as with whether the material is locally metallic
or insulating, thus giving an atomic-scale basis for descriptions of the
manganites as mixtures of electronically and structurally distinct phases.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, 19 reference
Bi-layer splitting in overdoped high cuprates
Recent angle-resolved photoemission data for overdoped Bi2212 are explained.
Of the peak-dip-hump structure, the peak corresponds the component
of a hole condensate which appears at . The fluctuating part of this same
condensate produces the hump. The bilayer splitting is large enough to produce
a bonding hole and an electron antibonding quasiparticle Fermi surface. Smaller
bilayer splittings observed in some experiments reflect the interaction of the
peak structure with quasiparticle states near, but not at, the Fermi surface.Comment: 4 pages with 2 figures - published versio
Dispersive charge density wave excitations and temperature dependent commensuration in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+{\delta}
Experimental evidence on high-Tc cuprates reveals ubiquitous charge density
wave (CDW) modulations, which coexist with superconductivity. Although the CDW
had been predicted by theory, important questions remain about the extent to
which the CDW influences lattice and charge degrees of freedom and its
characteristics as functions of doping and temperature. These questions are
intimately connected to the origin of the CDW and its relation to the
mysterious cuprate pseudogap. Here, we use ultrahigh resolution resonant
inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) to reveal new CDW character in underdoped
Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+{\delta} (Bi2212). At low temperature, we observe dispersive
excitations from an incommensurate CDW that induces anomalously enhanced phonon
intensity, unseen using other techniques. Near the pseudogap temperature T*,
the CDW persists, but the associated excitations significantly weaken and the
CDW wavevector shifts, becoming nearly commensurate with a periodicity of four
lattice constants. The dispersive CDW excitations, phonon anomaly, and
temperature dependent commensuration provide a comprehensive momentum space
picture of complex CDW behavior and point to a closer relationship with the
pseudogap state
Giant phonon anomalies and central peak due to charge density wave formation in YBaCuO
The electron-phonon interaction is a major factor influencing the competition
between collective instabilities in correlated-electron materials, but its role
in driving high-temperature superconductivity in the cuprates remains poorly
understood. We have used high-resolution inelastic x-ray scattering to monitor
low-energy phonons in YBaCuO (superconducting
K), which is close to a charge density wave (CDW) instability. Phonons in a
narrow range of momentum space around the CDW ordering vector exhibit extremely
large superconductivity-induced lineshape renormalizations. These results imply
that the electron-phonon interaction has sufficient strength to generate
various anomalies in electronic spectra, but does not contribute significantly
to Cooper pairing. In addition, a quasi-elastic "central peak" due to CDW
nanodomains is observed in a wide temperature range above and below ,
suggesting that the gradual onset of a spatially inhomogeneous CDW domain state
with decreasing temperature is a generic feature of the underdoped cuprates
Phase Separation Models for Cuprate Stripe Arrays
An electronic phase separation model provides a natural explanation for a
large variety of experimental results in the cuprates, including evidence for
both stripes and larger domains, and a termination of the phase separation in
the slightly overdoped regime, when the average hole density equals that on the
charged stripes. Several models are presented for charged stripes, showing how
density waves, superconductivity, and strong correlations compete with quantum
size effects (QSEs) in narrow stripes. The energy bands associated with the
charged stripes develop in the middle of the Mott gap, and the splitting of
these bands can be understood by considering the QSE on a single ladder.Comment: significant revisions: includes island phase, 16 eps figures, revte
Inhomogeneous d-wave superconducting state of a doped Mott insulator
Recent scanning tunneling microscope (STM) measurements discovered remarkable
electronic inhomogeneity, i.e. nano-scale spatial variations of the local
density of states (LDOS) and the superconducting energy gap, in the high-Tc
superconductor BSCCO. Based on the experimental findings we conjectured that
the inhomogeneity arises from variations in local oxygen doping level and may
be generic of doped Mott insulators which behave rather unconventionally in
screening the dopant ionic potentials at atomic scales comparable to the short
coherence length. Here, we provide theoretical support for this picture. We
study a doped Mott insulator within a generalized t-J model, where doping is
accompanied by ionic Coulomb potentials centered in the BiO plane. We calculate
the LDOS spectrum, the integrated LDOS, and the local superconducting gap, make
detailed comparisons to experiments, and find remarkable agreement with the
experimental data. We emphasize the unconventional screening in a doped Mott
insulator and show that nonlinear screening dominates at nano-meter scales
which is the origin of the electronic inhomogeneity. It leads to strong
inhomogeneous redistribution of the local hole density and promotes the notion
of a local doping concentration. We find that the inhomogeneity structure
manifests itself at all energy scales in the STM tunneling differential
conductance, and elucidate the similarity and the differences between the data
obtained in the constant tunneling current mode and the same data normalized to
reflect constant tip-to-sample distance. We also discuss the underdoped case
where nonlinear screening of the ionic potential turns the spatial electronic
structure into a percolative mixture of patches with smaller pairing gaps
embedded in a background with larger gaps to single particle excitations.Comment: 19 pages, final versio
Physiological profile of world-class high altitude climbers
The functional characteristics of six world-class high-altitude mountaineers were assessed 2-12 mo after the last high-altitude climb. Each climber on one or more several occasions had reached altitudes of 8,500 m or above without supplementary O2. Static and dynamic lung volumes and right and left echocardiographic measurements were found to be within normal limits of sedentary controls (SC). Muscle fiber distribution was 70% type I, 22% type IIa, and 7% type IIb. Mean muscle fiber cross-sectional area was significantly smaller than that of SC (-15%) and of long-distance runners (LDR, -51%). The number of capillaries per unit cross-sectional area was significantly greater than that of SC (+40%). Total mitochondrial volume was not significantly different from that of SC, but its subsarcolemmal component was equal to that of LDR. Average maximal O2 consumption was 60 \ub1 6 ml\ub7kg-1\ub7min-1, which is between the values of SC and LDR. Average maximal anerobic power was 28 \ub1 2.5 W\ub7kg-1, which is equal to that of SC and 40% lower than that of competitive high jumpers. All subjects were characterized by resting hyperventilation both in normoxia and in moderate (inspired O2 partial pressure = 77 Torr) hypoxia resulting in higher oxyhemoglobin saturation levels in hypoxia. The ventilatory response to four tidal volumes of pure O2 was similar to that of SC. It is concluded that elite high-alitude climbers do not have physiological adaptations to high altitude that justify their unique performance
Doping dependence of the superconducting gap in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O{8 + delta}
Bi2Sr2CaCu2O{8 + \delta} crystals with varying hole concentrations (0.12 < p
< 0.23) were studied to investigate the effects of doping on the symmetry and
magnitude of the superconducting gap. Electronic Raman scattering experiments
that sample regions of the Fermi surface near the diagonal (B_{2g}) and
principal axes (B_{1g}) of the Brillouin Zone have been utilized. The frequency
dependence of the Raman response function at low energies is found to be linear
for B_{2g} and cubic for B_{1g} (T< T_c). The latter observations have led us
to conclude that the doping dependence of the superconducting gap is consistent
with d_{x^2-y^2} symmetry, for slightly underdoped and overdoped crystals.
Studies of the pair-breaking peak found in the B_{1g} spectra demonstrate that
the magnitude of the maximum gap decreases monotonically with increasing hole
doping, for p > 0.12. Based on the magnitude of the B_{1g} renormalization, it
is found that the number of quasiparticles participating in pairing increases
monotonically with increased doping. On the other hand, the B_{2g} spectra show
a weak "pair-breaking peak" that follows a parabolic-like dependence on hole
concentration, for 0.12 < p < 0.23.Comment: 9 pages REvTex document including 8 eps figures; new table II;
changes to Fig. 5 and tex
How to detect fluctuating order in the high-temperature superconductors
We discuss fluctuating order in a quantum disordered phase proximate to a
quantum critical point, with particular emphasis on fluctuating stripe order.
Optimal strategies for extracting information concerning such local order from
experiments are derived with emphasis on neutron scattering and scanning
tunneling microscopy. These ideas are tested by application to two model
systems - the exactly solvable one dimensional electron gas with an impurity,
and a weakly-interacting 2D electron gas. We extensively review experiments on
the cuprate high-temperature superconductors which can be analyzed using these
strategies. We adduce evidence that stripe correlations are widespread in the
cuprates. Finally, we compare and contrast the advantages of two limiting
perspectives on the high-temperature superconductor: weak coupling, in which
correlation effects are treated as a perturbation on an underlying metallic
(although renormalized) Fermi liquid state, and strong coupling, in which the
magnetism is associated with well defined localized spins, and stripes are
viewed as a form of micro-phase separation. We present quantitative indicators
that the latter view better accounts for the observed stripe phenomena in the
cuprates.Comment: 43 pages, 11 figures, submitted to RMP; extensively revised and
greatly improved text; one new figure, one new section, two new appendices
and more reference
Order and quantum phase transitions in the cuprate superconductors
It is now widely accepted that the cuprate superconductors are characterized
by the same long-range order as that present in the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer
(BCS) theory: that associated with the condensation of Cooper pairs. We argue
that many physical properties of the cuprates require interplay with additional
order parameters associated with a proximate Mott insulator. We review a
classification of Mott insulators in two dimensions, and contend that the
experimental evidence so far shows that the class appropriate to the cuprates
has collinear spin correlations, bond order, and confinement of neutral, spin
S=1/2 excitations. Proximity to second-order quantum phase transitions
associated with these orders, and with the pairing order of BCS, has led to
systematic predictions for many physical properties. We use this context to
review the results of recent neutron scattering, fluxoid detection, nuclear
magnetic resonance, and scanning tunnelling microscopy experiments.Comment: 20 pages, 13 figures, non-technical review article; some technical
details in the companion review cond-mat/0211027; (v3) added refs; (v4)
numerous improvements thanks to the referees, to appear in Reviews of Modern
Physics; (v6) final version as publishe
- …