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Competition between Charge Ordering and Superconductivity in Layered Organic Conductors $α$-(BEDT-TTF)$_2M$Hg(SCN)$_4$ (M = K, NH$_4$)

M. Dressel·N. Drichko·J. Schlueter·J. Merino
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Abstract

While the optical properties of the superconducting salt $α$-(BEDT-TTF)$_2$NH$_4$Hg(SCN)$_4$ remain metallic down to 2 K, in the non-superconducting K-analog a pseudogap develops at frequencies of about 200 cm$^{-1}$ for temperatures T < 200 K. Based on exact diagonalisation calculations on an extended Hubbard model at quarter-filling we argue that fluctuations associated with short range charge ordering are responsible for the observed low-frequency feature. The different ground states, including superconductivity, are a consequence of the proximity of these compounds to a quantum phase charge-ordering transition driven by the intermolecular Coulomb repulsion.

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M. Dressel, N. Drichko, J. Schlueter, J. Merino. 2002-06-06. Competition between Charge Ordering and Superconductivity in Layered Organic Conductors $α$-(BEDT-TTF)$_2M$Hg(SCN)$_4$ (M = K, NH$_4$). https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.90.167002

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