High-Temperature Charge-Stripe Correlations in La_{1.675}Eu_{0.2}Sr_{0.125}CuO_{4}

Area of Science:

• Condensed Matter Physics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Charge-stripe correlations are a key phenomenon in cuprate superconductors.
• Understanding their emergence and relationship to other electronic phases is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate charge-stripe correlations in La_{1.675}Eu_{0.2}Sr_{0.125}CuO_{4} using resonant inelastic x-ray scattering.
• To determine the onset and behavior of these correlations relative to structural and pseudogap phases.

Main Methods:

• Resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) was employed to probe charge-stripe correlations.
• Differentiation between elastic and inelastic scattering signals was used to isolate charge-stripe contributions.
• Temperature-dependent measurements were performed to study the behavior of scattering peak amplitude and intensity.

Main Results:

• Charge-stripe correlations were found to precede the low-temperature tetragonal phase and the pseudogap onset.
• The scattering peak amplitude decayed as T^{-2}, while the in-plane integrated intensity remained largely temperature-independent.
• Comparison with other La-based cuprates revealed a consistent integrated scattering intensity, suggesting a universal charge-stripe ordering mechanism.

Conclusions:

• The study provides a unifying picture of charge-stripe ordering in La-based cuprates.
• The persistence of charge correlations beyond the low-temperature tetragonal and pseudogap phases indicates spontaneous symmetry breaking in La_{1.675}Eu_{0.2}Sr_{0.125}CuO_{4}.