Spatial complexity due to bulk electronic nematicity in a superconducting underdoped cuprate

Area of Science:

• Condensed Matter Physics
• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Scanning tunneling microscopy reveals complex nanoscale electronic patterns in high-temperature superconductors, particularly cuprates.
• These patterns are linked to the pseudogap phase, a precursor state to superconductivity.
• Electronic nematicity, a form of rotational symmetry breaking, has been proposed as a unifying concept for the pseudogap phase.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify the fundamental physics governing nanoscale pattern formation in cuprate superconductors.
• To investigate the role of disorder and broken symmetry in these electronic patterns.
• To understand the nature and extent of electronic nematicity in the pseudogap phase.

Main Methods:

• Development of novel analytical methods for strongly correlated electronic systems.
• Analysis of universal cluster properties from scanning tunneling microscopy data of cuprate superconductors.
• Incorporation of disorder, interactions, and material anisotropy into the analysis.

Main Results:

• Identified fractal characteristics of the electron nematic state.
• Demonstrated that the fractal electron nematicity extends throughout the bulk of the material.
• Established a link between universal cluster properties and the underlying physics of pattern formation.

Conclusions:

• The electron nematic state in cuprates is fractal due to a balance between disorder, interactions, and anisotropy.
• This fractal nature is a fundamental property controlling nanoscale pattern formation.
• The findings suggest that electronic nematicity is a bulk phenomenon crucial for high-temperature superconductivity.