163 research outputs found
Superconducting Fluctuations, Pseudogap and Phase Diagram in Cuprates
We report transport measurements using pulsed magnetic fields to suppress the
superconducting fluctuations (SCF) conductivity in a series of YBa_2Cu_3O_(6+x)
samples. These experiments allow us altogether to measure the temperature T'c
at which SCF disappear, and the pseudogap temperature T*. While the latter are
consistent with previous determinations of T*, we find that T'c is slightly
larger than similar data taken by Nernst measurements. A careful investigation
near optimal doping shows that T* becomes smaller than T'c, which is an
unambiguous evidence that the pseudogap cannot be assigned to preformed pairs.
Studies of the incidence of disorder on both T'c and T* allow us to propose a
phase diagram including disorder which explains most observations done in other
cuprate families, and to discuss the available knowledge on the pseudogap line
in the phase diagram.Comment: New version with minor correction
An electronic instability in bismuth far beyond the quantum limit
We present a transport study of semi-metallic bismuth in presence of a
magnetic field applied along the trigonal axis extended to 55 T for electric
conductivity and to 45 T for thermoelectric response. The results uncover a new
field scale at about 40 T in addition to the previously detected ones. Large
anomalies in all transport properties point to an intriguing electronic
instability deep in the ultraquantum regime. Unexpectedly, both the sheer
magnitude of conductivity and its metallic temperature dependence are enhanced
by this instability.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Fermi liquid behavior of the in-plane resistivity in the pseudogap state of YBa_2Cu_4O_8
Our knowledge of the ground state of underdoped hole-doped cuprates has
evolved considerably over the last few years. There is now compelling evidence
that inside the pseudogap phase, charge order breaks translational symmetry
leading to a reconstructed Fermi surface made of small pockets. Quantum
oscillations, [Doiron-Leyraud N, et al. (2007) Nature 447:564-568], optical
conductivity [Mirzaei SI, et al. (2013) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 110:5774-5778]
and the validity of Wiedemann-Franz law [Grissonnache G, et al. (2016) Phys.
Rev. B 93:064513] point to a Fermi liquid regime at low temperature in the
underdoped regime. However, the observation of a quadratic temperature
dependence in the electrical resistivity at low temperatures, the hallmark of a
Fermi liquid regime, is still missing. Here, we report magnetoresistance
measurements in the magnetic-field-induced normal state of underdoped
YBa_2Cu_4O_8 which are consistent with a T^2 resistivity extending down to 1.5
K. The magnitude of the T^2 coefficient, however, is much smaller than expected
for a single pocket of the mass and size observed in quantum oscillations,
implying that the reconstructed Fermi surface must consist of at least one
additional pocket.Comment: Main + SI : published versio
Confinement of superconducting fluctuations due to emergent electronic inhomogeneities
The microscopic nature of an insulating state in the vicinity of a
superconducting state, in the presence of disorder, is a hotly debated
question. While the simplest scenario proposes that Coulomb interactions
destroy the Cooper pairs at the transition, leading to localization of single
electrons, an alternate possibility supported by experimental observations
suggests that Cooper pairs instead directly localize. The question of the
homogeneity, granularity, or possibly glassiness of the material on the verge
of this transition is intimately related to this fundamental issue. Here, by
combining macroscopic and nano-scale studies of superconducting ultrathin NbN
films, we reveal nanoscopic electronic inhomogeneities that emerge when the
film thickness is reduced. In addition, while thicker films display a purely
two-dimensional behaviour in the superconducting fluctuations, we demonstrate a
zero-dimensional regime for the thinner samples precisely on the scale of the
inhomogeneities. Such behavior is somehow intermediate between the Fermi and
Bose insulator paradigms and calls for further investigation to understand the
way Cooper pairs continuously evolve from a bound state of fermionic objects
into localized bosonic entities.Comment: 29 pages 9 figure
Universal magnetic structure of the half-magnetization phase in Cr-based spinels
Using an elastic neutron scattering technique under a pulsed magnetic field
up to 30 T, we determined the magnetic structure in the half-magnetization
plateau phase in the spinel CdCrO. The magnetic structure has a cubic
32 symmetry, which is the same as that observed in HgCrO. This
suggests that there is a universal field induced spin-lattice coupling
mechanism at work in the Cr-based spinels.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Angle-dependence of quantum oscillations in YBa2Cu3O6.59 shows free spin behaviour of quasiparticles
Measurements of quantum oscillations in the cuprate superconductors afford a
new opportunity to assess the extent to which the electronic properties of
these materials yield to a description rooted in Fermi liquid theory. However,
such an analysis is hampered by the small number of oscillatory periods
observed. Here we employ a genetic algorithm to globally model the field,
angular, and temperature dependence of the quantum oscillations observed in the
resistivity of YBa2Cu3O6.59. This approach successfully fits an entire data set
to a Fermi surface comprised of two small, quasi-2-dimensional cylinders. A key
feature of the data is the first identification of the effect of Zeeman
splitting, which separates spin-up and spin-down contributions, indicating that
the quasiparticles in the cuprates behave as nearly free spins, constraining
the source of the Fermi surface reconstruction to something other than a
conventional spin density wave with moments parallel to the CuO2 planes.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure
Correlation between Fermi surface transformations and superconductivity in the electron-doped high- superconductor NdCeCuO
Two critical points have been revealed in the normal-state phase diagram of
the electron-doped cuprate superconductor NdCeCuO by exploring
the Fermi surface properties of high quality single crystals by high-field
magnetotransport. First, the quantitative analysis of the Shubnikov-de Haas
effect shows that the weak superlattice potential responsible for the Fermi
surface reconstruction in the overdoped regime extrapolates to zero at the
doping level corresponding to the onset of superconductivity.
Second, the high-field Hall coefficient exhibits a sharp drop right below
optimal doping where the superconducting transition
temperature is maximum. This drop is most likely caused by the onset of
long-range antiferromagnetic ordering. Thus, the superconducting dome appears
to be pinned by two critical points to the normal state phase diagram.Comment: 9 pages; 7 figures; 1 tabl
de Haas-van Alphen oscillations in the underdoped cuprate YBaCuO
The de Haas-van Alphen effect was observed in the underdoped cuprate
YBaCuO via a torque technique in pulsed magnetic fields up to
59 T. Above an irreversibility field of 30 T, the magnetization exhibits
clear quantum oscillations with a single frequency of 540 T and a cyclotron
mass of 1.76 times the free electron mass, in excellent agreement with
previously observed Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations. The oscillations obey the
standard Lifshitz-Kosevich formula of Fermi-liquid theory. This thermodynamic
observation of quantum oscillations confirms the existence of a well-defined,
close and coherent, Fermi surface in the pseudogap phase of cuprates.Comment: published versio
Evidence for a small hole pocket in the Fermi surface of underdoped YBa2Cu3Oy
The Fermi surface of a metal is the fundamental basis from which its
properties can be understood. In underdoped cuprate superconductors, the Fermi
surface undergoes a reconstruction that produces a small electron pocket, but
whether there is another, as yet undetected portion to the Fermi surface is
unknown. Establishing the complete topology of the Fermi surface is key to
identifying the mechanism responsible for its reconstruction. Here we report
the discovery of a second Fermi pocket in underdoped YBa2Cu3Oy, detected as a
small quantum oscillation frequency in the thermoelectric response and in the
c-axis resistance. The field-angle dependence of the frequency demonstrates
that it is a distinct Fermi surface and the normal-state thermopower requires
it to be a hole pocket. A Fermi surface consisting of one electron pocket and
two hole pockets with the measured areas and masses is consistent with a
Fermi-surface reconstruction caused by the charge-density-wave order observed
in YBa2Cu3Oy, provided other parts of the reconstructed Fermi surface are
removed by a separate mechanism, possibly the pseudogap.Comment: 23 pages, 5 figure
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