arXiv subjects

Francis Laliberte

Publications and source records attributed to Francis Laliberte.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2022

Fermi surface transformation at the pseudogap critical point of a cuprate superconductor

The nature of the pseudogap phase remains a major barrier to our understanding of cuprate high-temperature superconductivity. Whether or not this metallic phase is defined by any of the reported broken symmetries, the topology of its Fermi surface remains a fundamental open question. Here we use angle-dependent magnetoresistance (ADMR) to measure the Fermi surface of the cuprate Nd-LSCO. Above the critical doping $p^*$ -- outside of the pseudogap phase -- we fit the ADMR data and extract a Fermi surface geometry that is in quantitative agreement with angle-resolved photoemission. Below $p^*$ -- within the pseudogap phase -- the ADMR is qualitatively different, revealing a clear transformation of the Fermi surface. Changes in the quasiparticle lifetime across $p^*$ are ruled out as the cause of this transformation. Instead we find that our data are most consistent with a reconstruction of the Fermi surface by a $Q=(π, π)$ wavevector.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2010

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.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2010

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.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2009

Enhancement of the Nernst effect by stripe order in a high-Tc superconductor

The Nernst effect in metals is highly sensitive to two kinds of phase transition: superconductivity and density-wave order. The large positive Nernst signal observed in hole-doped high-Tc superconductors above their transition temperature Tc has so far been attributed to fluctuating superconductivity. Here we show that in some of these materials the large Nernst signal is in fact caused by stripe order, a form of spin / charge modulation which causes a reconstruction of the Fermi surface. In LSCO doped with Nd or Eu, the onset of stripe order causes the Nernst signal to go from small and negative to large and positive, as revealed either by lowering the hole concentration across the quantum critical point in Nd-LSCO, or lowering the temperature across the ordering temperature in Eu-LSCO. In the latter case, two separate peaks are resolved, respectively associated with the onset of stripe order at high temperature and superconductivity near Tc. This sensitivity to Fermi-surface reconstruction makes the Nernst effect a promising probe of broken symmetry in high-Tc superconductors.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2008

Linear-T resistivity and change in Fermi surface at the pseudogap critical point of a high-Tc superconductor

A fundamental question of high-temperature superconductors is the nature of the pseudogap phase which lies between the Mott insulator at zero doping and the Fermi liquid at high doping p. Here we report on the behaviour of charge carriers near the zero-temperature onset of that phase, namely at the critical doping p* where the pseudogap temperature T* goes to zero, accessed by investigating a material in which superconductivity can be fully suppressed by a steady magnetic field. Just below p*, the normal-state resistivity and Hall coefficient of La1.6-xNd0.4SrxCuO4 are found to rise simultaneously as the temperature drops below T*, revealing a change in the Fermi surface with a large associated drop in conductivity. At p*, the resistivity shows a linear temperature dependence as T goes to zero, a typical signature of a quantum critical point. These findings impose new constraints on the mechanisms responsible for inelastic scattering and Fermi surface transformation in theories of the pseudogap phase.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2007

Magneto-elastic coupling in hexagonal YMnO_3

We report an ultrasonic investigation of the elastic moduli on a single crystal of hexagonal YMnO_3 as a function of temperature. Stiffening anomalies in the antiferromagnetic Néel state below T_N = 72.4 K are observed on all the four elastic moduli C_{ii}. The anomalies are the most important on C_{11} and C_{66} for in-plane elastic deformations; this is consistent with a strong coupling of the lattice with the in-plane exchange interactions. We use a Landau free energy model to account for these elastic anomalies. We derive an expression which relates the temperature profile of the anomaly to the order parameter; the critical exponent associated to this parameter $β$ = 0.42 is not consistent with a chiral XY or 3D Heisenberg universality class, but more in agreement with a conventional antiferromagnetic long range order. A tiny softening anomaly on C_{11} for which hysteresis effects are observed could be indicative of an interaction between ferroelectric and magnetic domains at T_N. Moreover, magnetic fluctuations effects both above and below T_N are identified through abnormal temperature and magnetic field effects.

cond-mat.str-el↗