arXiv subjects

Christophe Berthod

Publications and source records attributed to Christophe Berthod.

26 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2017

Observation of Caroli-de Gennes-Matricon Vortex States in YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7-δ}$

The copper oxides present the highest superconducting temperature and properties at odds with other compounds, suggestive of a fundamentally different superconductivity. In particular, the Abrikosov vortices fail to exhibit localized states expected and observed in all clean superconductors. We have explored the possibility that the elusive vortex-core signatures are actually present but weak. Combining local tunneling measurements with large-scale theoretical modeling, we positively identify the vortex states in YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7-δ}$. We explain their spectrum and the observed variations thereof from one vortex to the next by considering the effects of nearby vortices and disorder in the vortex lattice. We argue that the superconductivity of copper oxides is conventional, but the spectroscopic signature does not look so because the superconducting carriers are a minority.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2017

Dimensional Crossover in a Charge Density Wave Material Probed by Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy

High-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) data reveal evidence of a crossover from one-dimensional (1D) to three-dimensional (3D) behavior in the prototypical charge density wave (CDW) material NbSe3. In the low-temperature 3D regime, gaps in the electronic structure are observed due to two incommensurate CDWs, in agreement with x-ray diffraction and electronic-structure calculations. At higher temperatures we observe a spectral weight depletion that approaches the power-law behavior expected in 1D. From the warping of the quasi-1D Fermi surface at low temperatures, we extract the energy scale of the dimensional crossover. This is corroborated by a detailed analysis of the density of states, which reveals a change in dimensional behavior dependent on binding energy. Our results offer an important insight into the dimensionality of excitations in quasi-1D materials.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2016

Revisiting the vortex-core tunnelling spectroscopy in YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7-δ}$

The observation by scanning tunnelling spectroscopy (STS) of Abrikosov vortex cores in the high-temperature superconductor YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7-δ}$ (Y123) has revealed a robust pair of electron-hole symmetric states at finite subgap energy. Their interpretation remains an open question because theory predicts a different signature in the vortex cores, characterised by a strong zero-bias conductance peak. We present STS data on very homogeneous Y123 at 0.4 K revealing that the subgap features do not belong to vortices: they are actually observed everywhere along the surface with high spatial and energy reproducibility, even in the absence of magnetic field. Detailed analysis and modelling show that these states remain unpaired in the superconducting phase and belong to an incoherent channel which contributes to the tunnelling signal in parallel with the superconducting density of states.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2014

A theory of the strain-dependent critical field in Nb3Sn, based on anharmonic phonon generation

We propose a theory to explain the strain dependence of the critical properties in A15 superconductors. Starting from the strong-coupling formula for the critical temperature, and assuming that the strain sensitivity stems mostly from the electron-phonon alpha^2F function, we link the strain dependence of the critical properties to a widening of alpha^2F. This widening is attributed to the nonlinear generation of phonons, which takes place in the anharmonic deformation potential induced by the strain. Based on the theory of sum- and difference-frequency wave generation in nonlinear media, we obtain an explicit connection between the widening of alpha^2F and the anharmonic energy. The resulting model is fit to experimental datasets for Nb3Sn, and the anharmonic energy extracted from the fits is compared with first-principles calculations.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2013

Non-Drude universal scaling laws for the optical response of local Fermi liquids

We investigate the frequency and temperature dependence of the low-energy electron dynamics in a Landau Fermi liquid with a local self-energy. We show that the frequency and temperature dependencies of the optical conductivity obey universal scaling forms, for which explicit analytical expressions are obtained. For the optical conductivity and the associated memory function, we obtain a number of surprising features that differ qualitatively from the Drude model and are universal characteristics of a Fermi liquid. Different physical regimes of scaling are identified, with marked non-Drude features in the regime where hbar omega ~ kB T. These analytical results for the optical conductivity are compared to numerical calculations for the doped Hubbard model within dynamical mean-field theory. For the "universal" low-energy electrodynamics, we obtain perfect agreement between numerical calculations and analytical scaling laws. Both results show that the optical conductivity displays a non-Drude "foot", which could be easily mistaken as a signature of breakdown of the Fermi liquid, while it actually is a striking signature of its applicability. The aforementioned scaling laws provide a quantitative tool for the experimental identification and analysis of the Fermi-liquid state using optical spectroscopy, and a powerful method for the identification of alternative states of matter, when applicable.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2008

Hall effect on the triangular lattice

We investigate the high frequency Hall effect on a two-dimensional triangular lattice with nearest-neighbor hopping and a local Hubbard interaction. The complete temperature and doping dependencies of the high-frequency Hall coefficient $R_H$ are evaluated analytically and numerically for small, intermediate, and strong interactions using various approximation schemes. We find that $R_H$ follows the semiclassical $1/qn^*$ law near T=0, but exhibits a striking $T$-linear behavior with an interaction- and doping-dependent slope at high temperature. We compare our results with previous theories as well as Hall measurements performed in the cobaltates.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2007

Preeminent role of the Van Hove singularity in the strong-coupling analysis of scanning tunneling spectroscopy for two-dimensional cuprates

In two dimensions the non-interacting density of states displays a Van Hove singularity (VHS) which introduces an intrinsic electron-hole asymmetry, absent in three dimensions. We show that due to this VHS the strong-coupling analysis of tunneling spectra in high-$T_c$ superconductors must be reconsidered. Based on a microscopic model which reproduces the experimental data with great accuracy, we elucidate the peculiar role played by the VHS in shaping the tunneling spectra, and show that more conventional analyses of strong-coupling effects can lead to severe errors.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2006

Scanning tunneling spectroscopy of high-temperature superconductors

Tunneling spectroscopy played a central role in the experimental verification of the microscopic theory of superconductivity in the classical superconductors. Initial attempts to apply the same approach to high-temperature superconductors were hampered by various problems related to the complexity of these materials. The use of scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS) on these compounds allowed to overcome the main difficulties. This success motivated a rapidly growing scientific community to apply this technique to high-temperature superconductors. This paper reviews the experimental highlights obtained over the last decade. We first recall the crucial efforts to gain control over the technique and to obtain reproducible results. We then discuss how the STM/STS technique has contributed to the study of some of the most unusual and remarkable properties of high-temperature superconductors: the unusual large gap values and the absence of scaling with the critical temperature; the pseudogap and its relation to superconductivity; the unprecedented small size of the vortex cores and its influence on vortex matter; the unexpected electronic properties of the vortex cores; the combination of atomic resolution and spectroscopy leading to the observation of periodic local density of states modulations in the superconducting and pseudogap states, and in the vortex cores.

cond-mat.supr-con↗