Ubiquitous interplay between charge ordering and high-temperature superconductivity in cuprates

Area of Science:

• Condensed Matter Physics
• Materials Science
• Solid-State Chemistry

Background:

• Copper-oxide (cuprate) high-temperature superconductors exhibit complex electronic behaviors beyond superconductivity.
• Charge ordering is another prevalent phenomenon in these materials, often competing with the superconducting state.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the formation and characteristics of charge ordering in the high-temperature superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O(8+x).
• To compare the observed charge ordering with that found in other cuprate families (Y-based and La-based).
• To understand the relationship between charge ordering and superconductivity in cuprates.

Main Methods:

• Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) for real-space imaging of charge ordering.
• Resonant elastic x-ray scattering (REXS) for probing charge ordering periodicity.
• Spectroscopic measurements to identify electronic signatures of charge ordering.

Main Results:

• Established the formation of charge ordering in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O(8+x), with periodicity dependent on hole concentration.
• Demonstrated analogous competition between charge ordering and superconductivity, similar to Y-based and La-based cuprates.
• Observed a distinct electron-hole asymmetric signature and a resonance at +20 meV in spectroscopic data, indicative of hole organization in a doped Mott insulator.

Conclusions:

• Charge organization competes with superconductivity across different families of cuprates.
• The observed charge ordering in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O(8+x) is likely related to the electronic structure of a doped Mott insulator.
• These findings highlight a common mechanism underlying charge ordering in high-temperature superconductors.