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D. A. Bonn

Publications and source records attributed to D. A. Bonn.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

Fermi-surface reconstruction by stripe order in cuprate superconductors

Quantum oscillations have revealed the presence of a small pocket in the Fermi surface of the cuprate superconductor YBCO, whose nature and origin are the subject of much debate. Interpretations include electron and hole pockets; scenarios include Fermi-surface reconstruction by antiferromagnetism, d-density-wave order, and stripe order. Here we report quantum oscillations in the Seebeck and Nernst coefficients of YBCO and show, from the magnitude and sign of the Seebeck coefficient, that they come from an electron pocket. Using measurements of the Seebeck coefficient as a function of hole doping p, we show that the evolution of the Fermi surface in YBCO is the same as in Eu-LSCO, a cuprate where stripe order (a modulation of spin and charge densities) is well established. The electron pocket is most prominent where stripe order is strongest, at p = 1/8. This shows that Fermi-surface reconstruction is a generic mechanism of underdoped cuprates, intimately related to stripe order.

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Resonant elastic soft x-ray scattering in oxygen-ordered YBa_2Cu_3O_{6+delta}

Static charge-density wave (CDW) and spin-density wave (SDW) order has been convincingly observed in La-based cuprates for some time. However, more recently it has been suggested by quantum oscillation, transport and thermodynamic measurements that density wave order is generic to underdoped cuprates and plays a significant role in YBa_2Cu_3O_{6+delta} (YBCO). We use resonant soft x-ray scattering at the Cu L and O K edges to search for evidence of density wave order in Ortho-II and Ortho-VIII oxygen-ordered YBCO. We report a null result -- no evidence for static CDW order -- in both Ortho-II and Ortho-VIII ordered YBCO. While this does not rule out static CDW order in the CuO_2 planes of YBCO, these measurements place limits on the parameter space (temperature, magnetic field, scattering vector) in which static CDW order may exist. In addition, we present a detailed analysis of the energy and polarization dependence of the Ortho-II superstructure Bragg reflection [0.5 0 0] at the Cu L edge. The intensity of this peak, which is due to the valence modulations of Cu in the chain layer, is compared with calculations using atomic scattering form factors deduced from x-ray absorption measurements. The calculated energy and polarization dependence of the scattering intensity is shown to agree very well with the measurement, validating the approach and providing a framework for analyzing future resonant soft x-ray scattering measurements.

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Direct observation of multiple spin zeroes in the underdoped high temperature superconductor YBa2Cu3O6+x

We report the direct observation of multiple `spin zeroes' in angle-dependent magnetic quantum oscillations measured up to 85T in YBa2Cu3O6+x, at which the amplitude falls to a deep minimum accompanied by a phase inversion of the measured quantum oscillations, enabling the product of the effective mass and effective g-factor m*g* to be tightly constrained. We find an evolution of the location of the spin zeros with applied magnetic field, and suggest that this effect and the absence of a spin zero at low angles can be produced by more than one Fermi surface component, and an effective g-factor with a subtle anisotropy between in-plane and out-of-plane crystalline directions.

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Chemical potential oscillations from a single nodal pocket in the underdoped high-Tc superconductor YBa2Cu3O6+x

The mystery of the normal state in the underdoped cuprates has deepened with the use of newer and complementary experimental probes. While photoemission studies have revealed solely `Fermi arcs' centered on nodal points in the Brillouin zone at which holes aggregate upon doping, more recent quantum oscillation experiments have been interpreted in terms of an ambipolar Fermi surface, that includes sections containing electron carriers located at the antinodal region. To address the question of whether an ambipolar Fermi surface truly exists, here we utilize measurements of the second harmonic quantum oscillations, which reveal that the amplitude of these oscillations arises mainly from oscillations in the chemical potential, providing crucial information on the nature of the Fermi surface in underdoped YBa2Cu3O6+x. In particular, the detailed relationship between the second harmonic amplitude and the fundamental amplitude of the quantum oscillations leads us to the conclusion that there exists only a single underlying quasi-two dimensional Fermi surface pocket giving rise to the multiple frequency components observed via the effects of warping, bilayer splitting and magnetic breakdown. A range of studies suggest that the pocket is most likely associated with states near the nodal region of the Brillouin zone of underdoped YBa2Cu3O6+x at high magnetic fields.

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Nernst effect in the cuprate superconductor YBCO: Broken rotational and translational symmetries

The Nernst coefficient of the cuprate superconductor YBa2Cu3Oy was recently shown to become strongly anisotropic within the basal plane when cooled below the pseudogap temperature T*, revealing that the pseudogap phase breaks the four-fold rotational symmetry of the CuO2 planes. Here we report on the evolution of this Nernst anisotropy at low temperature, once superconductivity is suppressed by a magnetic field. We find that the anisotropy drops rapidly below 80 K, to vanish in the T=0 limit. We show that this loss of anisotropy is due to the emergence of a small high-mobility electron-like pocket in the Fermi surface at low temperature, a reconstruction attributed to a low-temperature state that breaks the translational symmetry of the CuO2 planes. We discuss the sequence of broken symmetries - first rotational, then translational - in terms of an electronic nematic-to-smectic transition such as could arise when unidirectional spin or charge modulations order. We compare YBa2Cu3Oy with iron-pnictide superconductors where the process of (unidirectional) antiferromagnetic ordering gives rises to the same sequence of broken symmetries.

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Lifshitz critical point in the cuprate superconductor YBa2Cu3Oy from high-field Hall effect measurements

The Hall coefficient R_H of the cuprate superconductor YBa2Cu3Oy was measured in magnetic fields up to 60 T for a hole concentration p from 0.078 to 0.152, in the underdoped regime. In fields large enough to suppress superconductivity, R_H(T) is seen to go from positive at high temperature to negative at low temperature, for p > 0.08. This change of sign is attributed to the emergence of an electron pocket in the Fermi surface at low temperature. At p < 0.08, the normal-state R_H(T) remains positive at all temperatures, increasing monotonically as T \to 0. We attribute the change of behaviour across p = 0.08 to a Lifshitz transition, namely a change in Fermi-surface topology occurring at a critical concentration p_L = 0.08, where the electron pocket vanishes. The loss of the high-mobility electron pocket across p_L coincides with a ten-fold drop in the conductivity at low temperature, revealed in measurements of the electrical resistivity $ρ$ at high fields, showing that the so-called metal-insulator crossover of cuprates is in fact driven by a Lifshitz transition. It also coincides with a jump in the in-plane anisotropy of $ρ$, showing that without its electron pocket the Fermi surface must have strong two-fold in-plane anisotropy. These findings are consistent with a Fermi-surface reconstruction caused by a unidirectional spin-density wave or stripe order.

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Angle-dependence of quantum oscillations in YBa2Cu3O6.59 shows free spin behaviour of quasiparticles

Measurements of quantum oscillations in the cuprate superconductors afford a new opportunity to assess the extent to which the electronic properties of these materials yield to a description rooted in Fermi liquid theory. However, such an analysis is hampered by the small number of oscillatory periods observed. Here we employ a genetic algorithm to globally model the field, angular, and temperature dependence of the quantum oscillations observed in the resistivity of YBa2Cu3O6.59. This approach successfully fits an entire data set to a Fermi surface comprised of two small, quasi-2-dimensional cylinders. A key feature of the data is the first identification of the effect of Zeeman splitting, which separates spin-up and spin-down contributions, indicating that the quasiparticles in the cuprates behave as nearly free spins, constraining the source of the Fermi surface reconstruction to something other than a conventional spin density wave with moments parallel to the CuO2 planes.

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Precision Microwave Electrodynamic Measurements of K- and Co-doped BaFe$_2$As$_2$

We have studied the microwave electrodynamics of single crystal iron-based superconductors Ba$_{0.72}$K$_{0.28}$Fe$_2$As$_2$ (hole-doped, $T_\mathrm{c}$ $\approx $30 K) and Ba(Fe$_{0.95}$Co$_{0.05}$)$_2$As$_2$ (electron-doped, $T_\mathrm{c}$ $\approx$20 K), by cavity perturbation and broadband spectroscopy. SQUID magnetometry was used to confirm the quality and homogeneity of the samples under study. Through cavity perturbation techniques, the temperature dependence of the in-plane London penetration depth $Δλ(T)$, and therefore the superfluid phase stiffness $λ^2(0)/λ^2(T)$ was measured. Down to 0.4 K, the data do not show the exponential saturation at low temperatures expected from a singly-, fully-gapped superconductor. Rather, both the electron- and the hole-doped systems seem to be best described by a power law behavior, with $λ^2(0)/λ^2(T)$ $\sim$ $T^n$ and \emph{n} $\approx$ 2.5. In the three samples we studied, a weak feature near the sensitivity limit of our measurements appears near $T/T_\mathrm{c}$ =~0.04, hinting at a corresponding low energy feature in the superconducting density of states. The data can also be relatively well-described by a simple two-gap s-wave model of the order parameter, but this yields parameters which seem unrealistic and dependent on the fit range. Broadband surface resistance measurements reveal a sample dependent residual loss whose origin is unclear. The data from the \FeAs samples can be made to scale as $ω^2$ if the extrinsic loss is treated as an additive component, indicating large scattering rates. Finally, the temperature dependence of the surface resistance at 13 GHz obeys a power law very similar to those observed for $Δλ(T)$.

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Electron interactions and charge ordering in La$_{2-x}$Sr$_x$CuO$_4$

We present results of inelastic light scattering experiments on single-crystalline La$_{2-x}$Sr$_{x}$CuO$_4$ in the doping range $0.00 \le x=p \le 0.30$ and Tl$_2$Ba$_2$CuO$_{6+δ}$ at $p=0.20$ and $p=0.24$. The main emphasis is placed on the response of electronic excitations in the antiferromagnetic phase, in the pseudogap range, in the superconducting state, and in the essentially normal metallic state at $x \ge 0.26$, where no superconductivity could be observed. In most of the cases we compare B$_{1g}$ and B$_{2g}$ spectra which project out electronic properties close to $(π,0)$ and $(π/2, π/2)$, respectively. In the channel of electron-hole excitations we find universal behavior in B$_{2g}$ symmetry as long as the material exhibits superconductivity at low temperature. In contrast, there is a strong doping dependence in B$_{1g}$ symmetry: (i) In the doping range $0.20 \le p \le 0.25$ we observe rapid changes of shape and temperature dependence of the spectra. (ii) In La$_{2-x}$Sr$_{x}$CuO$_4$ new structures appear for $x < 0.13$ which are superposed on the electron-hole continuum. The temperature dependence as well as model calculations support an interpretation in terms of charge-ordering fluctuations. For $x \le 0.05$ the response from fluctuations disappears at B$_{1g}$ and appears at B$_{2g}$ symmetry in full agreement with the orientation change of stripes found by neutron scattering. While, with a grain of salt, the particle-hole continuum is universal for all cuprates the response from fluctuating charge order in the range $0.05 \le p < 0.16$ is so far found only in La$_{2-x}$Sr$_{x}$CuO$_4$. We conclude that La$_{2-x}$Sr$_{x}$CuO$_4$ is close to static charge order and, for this reason, may have a suppressed $T_c$.

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Planes, Chains, and Orbits: Quantum Oscillations and High Magnetic Field Heat Capacity in Underdoped YBCO

The underlying physics of the magnetic-field-induced resistive state in high temperature cuprate superconductors remains a mystery. One interpretation is that the application of magnetic field destroys the d-wave superconducting gap to uncover a Fermi surface that behaves like a conventional (i.e.Fermi Liquid) metal (1). Another view is that an applied magnetic field destroys long range superconducting phase coherence, but the superconducting gap amplitude survives (2, 3). By measuring the specific heat of ultra-clean YBa2Cu3O6.56 (YBCO 6.56), we obtain a measure of the quasi-particle density of states from the superconducting state well into the magnetic-field-induced resistive state. We have found that at very high magnetic fields the specific heat exhibits both the conventional temperature dependence and quantum oscillations expected for a Fermi Liquid. On the other hand, the magnetic field dependence of the quasi-particle density of states follows a \sqrt{H} behavior that persists right through the zero-resistance transition, evidencing the fully developed d-wave superconducting gap over the entire magnetic field range measured. The coexistence of these two phenomena pose a rigorous thermodynamic constraint on theories of high-magnetic-field resistive state in the cuprates.

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Loss of nodal quasiparticle integrity in underdoped YBa2Cu3O6+x

Arguably the most intriguing aspect of the physics of cuprates is the close proximity between the record high-Tc superconductivity (HTSC) and the antiferromagnetic charge-transfer insulating state driven by Mott-like electron correlations. These are responsible for the intimate connection between high and low-energy scale physics, and their key role in the mechanism of HTSC was conjectured very early on. More recently, the detection of quantum oscillations in high-magnetic field experiments on YBa2Cu3O6+x (YBCO) has suggested the existence of a Fermi surface of well-defined quasiparticles in underdoped cuprates, lending support to the alternative proposal that HTSC might emerge from a Fermi liquid across the whole cuprate phase diagram. Discriminating between these orthogonal scenarios hinges on the quantitative determination of the elusive quasiparticle weight Z, over a wide range of hole-doping p. By means of angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) on in situ doped YBCO, and following the evolution of bilayer band-splitting, we show that the overdoped metal electronic structure (0.25<p<0.37) is in remarkable agreement with density functional theory and the Z=2p/(p+1) mean-field prediction. Below p~0.10-0.15, we observe the vanishing of the nodal quasiparticle weight Z_N; this marks a clear departure from Fermi liquid behaviour and -- consistent with dynamical mean-field theory -- is even a more rapid crossover to the Mott physics than expected for the doped resonating valence bond (RVB) spin liquid.

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Compensated electron and hole pockets in an underdoped high Tc superconductor

We report quantum oscillations in the underdoped high Tc YBCO over a wide range in magnetic field 28<B<85 T corresponding to ~12 oscillations, enabling the Fermi surface topology to be mapped to high resolution. As earlier reported by Sebastian et al., we find a Fermi surface comprising multiple pockets, as revealed by the additional distinct quantum oscillation frequencies and harmonics reported in this work. We find the originally reported broad low frequency Fourier peak at 535 T to be clearly resolved into three separate peaks at 460 T, 532 T and 602 T. Our increased resolution and angle-resolved measurements identify these frequencies to originate from two similarly sized pockets with greatly contrasting degrees of interlayer corrugation. The spectrally dominant frequency originates from a pocket (α) that is almost ideally two-dimensional in form. In contrast, the newly resolved weaker adjacent spectral features originate from a deeply corrugated pocket (γ). On comparison with band structure, the d-wave symmetry of the interlayer dispersion locates the minimally corrugated αpocket at the 'nodal' point where holes are located in a translational symmetry-broken scenario, and the significantly corrugated γpocket at the 'antinodal' point in the Brillouin zone, where electrons are located in a translational symmetry-broken scenario. Translational symmetry breaking by an SDW is suggested from the strong suppression of Zeeman splitting for the spectrally dominant pocket, additional evidence for which is provided from the harmonics we resolve in the present experiments. Given the similarity in αand γpocket sizes, their opposite carrier type and the previous report of a diverging effective mass, we discuss the possibility of a secondary Fermi surface instability at low dopings of the excitonic insulator type, associated with the metal-insulator QCP.

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Detection of the Unusual Magnetic Orders in the Pseudogap Region of a High-Temperature Superconducting YBa2Cu3O6.6 Crystal by Muon-Spin Relaxation

We present muon spin relaxation (muSR) measurements on a large YBa2Cu3O6.6 single crystal in which two kinds of unusual magnetic order have been detected in the pseudogap region by neutron scattering. A comparison is made to measurements on smaller, higher quality YBa2Cu3Oy single crystals. One type of magnetic order is observed in all samples, but does not evolve significantly with hole doping. A second type of unusual magnetic order is observed only in the YBa2Cu3O6.6 single crystal. This magnetism has an ordered magnetic moment that is quantitatively consistent with the neutron experiments, but is confined to just a small volume of the sample (~ 3%). Our findings do not support theories that ascribe the pseudogap to a state characterized by loop-current order, but instead indicate that dilute impurity phases are the source of the unusual magnetic orders in YBa2Cu3Oy.

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Nernst and Seebeck Coefficients of the Cuprate SuperconductorYBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{6.67}$: A Study of Fermi Surface Reconstruction

The Seebeck and Nernst coefficients $S$ and $ν$ of the cuprate superconductor YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_y$ (YBCO) were measured in a single crystal with doping $p = 0.12$ in magnetic fields up to H = 28 T. Down to T=9 K, $ν$ becomes independent of field by $H \simeq 30$ T, showing that superconducting fluctuations have become negligible. In this field-induced normal state, $S/T$ and $ν/T$ are both large and negative in the $T \to 0$ limit, with the magnitude and sign of $S/T$ consistent with the small electron-like Fermi surface pocket detected previously by quantum oscillations and the Hall effect. The change of sign in $S(T)$ at $T \simeq 50$ K is remarkably similar to that observed in La$_{2-x}$Ba$_x$CuO$_4$, La$_{2-x-y}$Nd$_y$Sr$_x$CuO$_4$ and La$_{2-x-y}$Eu$_y$Sr$_x$CuO$_4$, where it is clearly associated with the onset of stripe order. We propose that a similar density-wave mechanism causes the Fermi surface reconstruction in YBCO.

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Broken rotational symmetry in the pseudogap phase of a high-Tc superconductor

The nature of the pseudogap phase is a central problem in the quest to understand high-Tc cuprate superconductors. A fundamental question is what symmetries are broken when that phase sets in below a temperature T*. There is evidence from both polarized neutron diffraction and polar Kerr effect measurements that time- reversal symmetry is broken, but at temperatures that differ significantly. Broken rotational symmetry was detected by both resistivity and inelastic neutron scattering at low doping and by scanning tunnelling spectroscopy at low temperature, but with no clear connection to T*. Here we report the observation of a large in-plane anisotropy of the Nernst effect in YBa2Cu3Oy that sets in precisely at T*, throughout the doping phase diagram. We show that the CuO chains of the orthorhombic lattice are not responsible for this anisotropy, which is therefore an intrinsic property of the CuO2 planes. We conclude that the pseudogap phase is an electronic state which strongly breaks four-fold rotational symmetry. This narrows the range of possible states considerably, pointing to stripe or nematic orders.

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Quantum oscillations in underdoped YBa_2Cu_3O_6.5

Shubnikov-de Haas and de Haas-van Alphen effects have been measured in the underdoped high temperature superconductor YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{6.51}$. Data are in agreement with the standard Lifshitz-Kosevitch theory, which confirms the presence of a coherent Fermi surface in the ground state of underdoped cuprates. A low frequency $F = 530 \pm 10$ T is reported in both measurements, pointing to small Fermi pocket, which corresponds to 2% of the first Brillouin zone area only. This low value is in sharp contrast with that of overdoped Tl$_2$Ba$_2$CuO$_{6+δ}$, where a high frequency $F = 18$ kT has been recently reported and corresponds to a large hole cylinder in agreement with band structure calculations. These results point to a radical change in the topology of the Fermi surface on opposing sides of the cuprate phase diagram.

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Multiple Quantum Oscillations in the de Haas van Alphen Spectra of the Underdoped High Temperature Superconductor YBa_2Cu_3O_6.5

By improving the experimental conditions and extensive data accumulation, we have achieved very high-precision in the measurements of the de Haas-van Alphen effect in the underdoped high-temperature superconductor YBa$_{2}$Cu$_{3}$O$_{6.5}$. We find that the main oscillation, so far believed to be single-frequency, is composed of three closely spaced frequencies. We attribute this to bilayer splitting and warping of a single quasi-2D Fermi surface, indicating that \emph{c}-axis coherence is restored at low temperature in underdoped cuprates. Our results do not support the existence of a larger frequency of the order of 1650 T reported recently in the same compound [S.E. Sebastian {\it et al}., Nature {\bf 454}, 200 (2008)].

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