Diamagnetism and Cooper pairing above $T_c$ in cuprates

Abstract

In the cuprate superconductors, Nernst and torque magnetization experiments have provided evidence that the disappearance of the Meissner effect at $T_c$ is caused by the loss of long-range phase coherence, rather than the vanishing of the pair condensate. Here we report a series of torque magnetization measurements on single crystals of $\mathrm{La_{2-x}Sr_xCuO_4}$ (LSCO), $\mathrm{Bi_2Sr_{2-y}La_yCuO_6}$ (Bi 2201), $\mathrm{Bi_2Sr_2CaCu_2O_{8+δ}}$ (Bi 2212) and optimal $\mathrm{YBa_2Cu_3O_7}$. Some of the measurements were taken to fields as high as 45 T. Focusing on the magnetization above $T_c$, we show that the diamagnetic term $M_d$ appears at an onset temperature $T^M_{onset}$ high above $T_c$. We construct the phase diagram of both LSCO and Bi 2201 and show that $T^M_{onset}$ agrees with the onset temperature of the vortex Nernst signal $T^ν_{onset}$. Our results provide thermodynamic evidence against a recent proposal that the high-temperature Nernst signal in LSCO arises from a quasiparticle contribution in a charge-ordered state.