Freezing of spin dynamics and omega/T scaling in underdoped cuprates

The memory function approach to spin dynamics in doped antiferromagnetic insulator combined with the assumption of temperature independent static spin correlations and constant collective mode damping leads to omega/T scaling in a broad range. The theory involving a non universal scaling parameter is used to analyze recent inelastic neutron scattering results for underdoped cuprates. Adopting modified damping function also the emerging central peak in low-doped cuprates at low temperatures can be explained within the same framework.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures; to appear in Journal of Physics: Conference Series (ICM2009 Conference, Karlsruhe, Germany

Neutron scattering study of the magnetic phase diagram of underdoped YBa(2)Cu(3)O(6+x)

We present a neutron triple-axis and resonant spin-echo spectroscopy study of the spin correlations in untwinned YBCO crystals with x= 0.3, 0.35, and 0.45 as a function of temperature and magnetic field. As the temperature T approaches 0, all samples exhibit static incommensurate magnetic order with propagation vector along the a-direction in the CuO2 planes. The incommensurability delta increases monotonically with hole concentration, as it does in LSCO. However, delta is generally smaller than in LSCO at the same doping level. The intensity of the incommensurate Bragg reflections increases with magnetic field for YBCO(6.45) (superconducting Tc = 35 K), whereas it is field-independent for YBCO(6.35) (Tc = 10 K). These results suggest that YBCO samples with x ~ 0.5 exhibit incommensurate magnetic order in the high fields used for the recent quantum oscillation experiments on this system, which likely induces a reconstruction of the Fermi surface. We present neutron spin-echo measurements (with energy resolution ~ 1 micro-eV) for T > 0 that demonstrate a continuous thermal broadening of the incommensurate magnetic Bragg reflections into a quasielastic peak centered at excitation energy E = 0, consistent with the zero-temperature transition expected for a two-dimensional spin system with full spin-rotation symmetry. Measurements on YBCO(6.45) with a triple-axis spectrometer (with energy resolution ~ 100 micro-eV) yield a crossover temperature T_SDW ~ 30 K for the onset of quasi-static magnetic order. Upon further heating, the wavevector characterizing low-energy spin excitations approaches the commensurate antiferromagnetic wave vector, and the incommensurability vanishes in an order-parameter-like fashion at an "electronic liquid-crystal" onset temperature T_ELC ~ 150 K. Both T_SDW and T_ELC increase continuously as the Mott-insulating phase is approached with decreasing doping level.Comment: to appear in a special issue on "Fermiology of Cuprates" of the New Journal of Physic

Physics of π\pi-Meson Condensation and High Temperature Cuprate Superconductors

The idea of condensation of the Goldstone $\pi$-meson field in nuclear matter had been put forward a long time ago. However, it was established that the normal nuclear density is too low, it is not sufficient to condensate $\pi$-mesons. This is why the $\pi$-condensation has never been observed. Recent experimental and theoretical studies of high temperature cuprate superconductors have revealed condensation of Goldstone magnons, the effect fully analogous to the $\pi$-condensation. The magnon condensation has been observed. It is clear now that quantum fluctuations play a crucial role in the condensation, in particular they drive a quantum phase transition that destroys the condensate at some density of fermions

Fermi surface instabilities at finite Temperature

We present a new method to detect Fermi surface instabilities for interacting systems at finite temperature. We first apply it to a list of cases studied previously, recovering already known results in a very economic way, and obtaining most of the information on the phase diagram analytically. As an example, in the continuum limit we obtain the critical temperature as an implicit function of the magnetic field and the chemical potential $T_c(\mu,h)$. By applying the method to a model proposed to describe reentrant behavior in $Sr_3Ru_2O_7$, we reproduce the phase diagram obtained experimentally and show the presence of a non-Fermi Liquid region at temperatures above the nematic phase.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figure

Weak superconducting pairing and a single isotropic energy gap in stoichiometric LiFeAs

We report superconducting (SC) properties of stoichiometric LiFeAs (Tc = 17 K) studied by small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) and angle-resolved photoemission (ARPES). Although the vortex lattice exhibits no long-range order, well-defined SANS rocking curves indicate better ordering than in chemically doped 122-compounds. The London penetration depth of 210 nm, determined from the magnetic field dependence of the form factor, is compared to that calculated from the ARPES band structure with no adjustable parameters. Its temperature dependence is best described by a single isotropic SC gap of 3.0 meV, which agrees with the ARPES value of 3.1 meV and corresponds to the ratio 2Delta/kTc = 4.1, approaching the weak-coupling limit predicted by the BCS theory. This classifies LiFeAs as a weakly coupled single-gap superconductor, similar to conventional metals.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Spontaneous breaking of four-fold rotational symmetry in two-dimensional electronic systems explained as a continuous topological transition

The Fermi liquid approach is applied to the problem of spontaneous violation of the four-fold rotational point-group symmetry ($C_4$) in strongly correlated two-dimensional electronic systems on a square lattice. The symmetry breaking is traced to the existence of a topological phase transition. This continuous transition is triggered when the Fermi line, driven by the quasiparticle interactions, reaches the van Hove saddle points, where the group velocity vanishes and the density of states becomes singular. An unconventional Fermi liquid emerges beyond the implicated quantum critical point.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure

The 3-Band Hubbard-Model versus the 1-Band Model for the high-Tc Cuprates: Pairing Dynamics, Superconductivity and the Ground-State Phase Diagram

One central challenge in high-$T_c$ superconductivity (SC) is to derive a detailed understanding for the specific role of the $Cu$-$d_{x^2-y^2}$ and $O$-$p_{x,y}$ orbital degrees of freedom. In most theoretical studies an effective one-band Hubbard (1BH) or t-J model has been used. Here, the physics is that of doping into a Mott-insulator, whereas the actual high-$T_c$ cuprates are doped charge-transfer insulators. To shed light on the related question, where the material-dependent physics enters, we compare the competing magnetic and superconducting phases in the ground state, the single- and two-particle excitations and, in particular, the pairing interaction and its dynamics in the three-band Hubbard (3BH) and 1BH-models. Using a cluster embedding scheme, i.e. the variational cluster approach (VCA), we find which frequencies are relevant for pairing in the two models as a function of interaction strength and doping: in the 3BH-models the interaction in the low- to optimal-doping regime is dominated by retarded pairing due to low-energy spin fluctuations with surprisingly little influence of inter-band (p-d charge) fluctuations. On the other hand, in the 1BH-model, in addition a part comes from "high-energy" excited states (Hubbard band), which may be identified with a non-retarded contribution. We find these differences between a charge-transfer and a Mott insulator to be renormalized away for the ground-state phase diagram of the 3BH- and 1BH-models, which are in close overall agreement, i.e. are "universal". On the other hand, we expect the differences - and thus, the material dependence to show up in the "non-universal" finite-T phase diagram ($T_c$-values).Comment: 17 pages, 9 figure