Unusual behavior of cuprates explained by heterogeneous charge localization

Area of Science:

• Condensed Matter Physics
• Materials Science
• Quantum Materials

Background:

• Cuprate superconductors exhibit complex phase diagrams with pseudogap, strange-metal, and superconducting behaviors.
• Understanding these behaviors is crucial for advancing high-temperature superconductivity.
• Current models struggle to comprehensively explain the observed phenomena.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a new phenomenological model for cuprate superconductors.
• To explain the key unconventional experimental results observed in these materials.
• To demystify the cuprate phase diagram and elucidate the underlying mechanisms.

Main Methods:

• Development of a percolative phenomenological model.
• Focus on the delocalization of one hole per planar copper-oxygen unit with doping and temperature.
• Parameterization of the model to align with experimental observations.

Main Results:

• The model successfully captures the temperature and doping dependence of the pseudogap phenomenon.
• It explains the strange-metal linear temperature dependence of planar resistivity.
• It accurately describes the doping dependence of superfluid density.

Conclusions:

• The proposed model provides a simple yet comprehensive explanation for the cuprate phase diagram.
• It suggests that a local superconducting pairing mechanism is at play.
• The findings demystify key aspects of high-temperature superconductivity in cuprates.