arXiv subjects

M. Greven

Publications and source records attributed to M. Greven.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2014

Connection between charge-density-wave order and charge transport in the cuprate superconductors

Charge-density-wave (CDW) correlations within the quintessential CuO$_2$ planes have been argued to either cause [1] or compete with [2] the superconductivity in the cuprates, and they might furthermore drive the Fermi-surface reconstruction in high magnetic fields implied by quantum oscillation (QO) experiments for YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{6+δ}$ (YBCO) [3] and HgBa$_2$CuO$_{4+δ}$ (Hg1201) [4]. Consequently, the observation of bulk CDW order in YBCO was a significant development [5,6,7]. Hg1201 features particularly high structural symmetry and recently has been demonstrated to exhibit Fermi-liquid charge transport in the relevant temperature-doping range of the phase diagram, whereas for YBCO and other cuprates this underlying property of the CuO$_2$ planes is partially or fully masked [8-10]. It therefore is imperative to establish if the pristine transport behavior of Hg1201 is compatible with CDW order. Here we investigate Hg1201 ($T_c$ = 72 K) via bulk Cu L-edge resonant X-ray scattering. We indeed observe CDW correlations in the absence of a magnetic field, although the correlations and competition with superconductivity are weaker than in YBCO. Interestingly, at the measured hole-doping level, both the short-range CDW and Fermi-liquid transport appear below the same temperature of about 200 K. Our result points to a unifying picture in which the CDW formation is preceded at the higher pseudogap temperature by $q$ = 0 magnetic order [11,12] and the build-up of significant dynamic antiferromagnetic correlations [13]. Furthermore, the smaller CDW modulation wave vector observed for Hg1201 is consistent with the larger electron pocket implied by both QO [4] and Hall-effect [14] measurements, which suggests that CDW correlations are indeed responsible for the low-temperature QO phenomenon.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2014

Validity of Kohler's rule in the pseudogap phase of the cuprate superconductors

We report in-plane resistivity ($ρ$) and transverse magnetoresistance (MR) measurements in underdoped HgBa$_2$CuO$_{4+δ}$ (Hg1201). Contrary to the longstanding view that Kohler's rule is strongly violated in underdoped cuprates, we find that it is in fact satisfied in the pseudogap phase of Hg1201. The transverse MR shows a quadratic field dependence, $δρ/ρ_o=a H^{2}$, with $a(T)\propto T^{-4}$. In combination with the observed $ρ\propto T^2$ dependence, this is consistent with a single Fermi-liquid quasiparticle scattering rate. We show that this behavior is universal, yet typically masked in cuprates with lower structural symmetry or strong disorder effects.

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arXiv2014

Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy study of HgBa$_{2}$CuO$_{4+δ}$

HgBa$_{2}$CuO$_{4+δ}$ (Hg1201) has been shown to be a model cuprate for scattering, optical, and transport experiments, but angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) data are still lacking owing to the absence of a charge-neutral cleavage plane. We report on progress in achieving the experimental conditions for which quasiparticles can be observed in the near-nodal region of the Fermi surface. The d-wave superconducting gap is measured and found to have a maximum of 39 meV. At low temperature, a kink is detected in the nodal dispersion at approximately 51 meV below the Fermi level, an energy that is different from other cuprates with comparable T$_c$. The superconducting gap, Fermi surface, and nodal band renormalization measured here provide a crucial momentum-space complement to other experimental probes.

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arXiv2013

The high-energy anomaly in ARPES spectra of the cuprates-many body or matrix element effect?

We used polarization-dependent angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) to study the high-energy anomaly (HEA) in the dispersion of Nd2-xCexCuO4, (x=0.123). We have found that at particular photon energies the anomalous, waterfalllike dispersion gives way to a broad, continuous band. This suggests that the HEA is a matrix element effect: it arises due to a suppression of the intensity of the broadened quasi-particle band in a narrow momentum range. We confirm this interpretation experimentally, by showing that the HEA appears when the matrix element is suppressed deliberately by changing the light polarization. Calculations of the matrix element using atomic wave functions and simulation of the ARPES intensity with one-step model calculations provide further proof for this scenario. The possibility to detect the full quasi-particle dispersion further allows us to extract the high-energy self-energy function near the center and at the edge of the Brillouin zone.

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arXiv2013

Hall, Seebeck, and Nernst Coefficients of Underdoped HgBa2CuO4+d: Fermi-Surface Reconstruction in an Archetypal Cuprate Superconductor

Charge density-wave order has been observed in cuprate superconductors whose crystal structure breaks the square symmetry of the CuO2 planes, such as orthorhombic YBa2Cu3Oy (YBCO), but not so far in cuprates that preserve that symmetry, such as tetragonal HgBa2CuO4+d (Hg1201). We have measured the Hall (R_H), Seebeck (S), and Nernst coefficients of underdoped Hg1201 in magnetic fields large enough to suppress superconductivity. The high-field R_H(T) and S(T) are found to drop with decreasing temperature and become negative, as also observed in YBCO at comparable doping. In YBCO, the negative R_H and S are signatures of a small electron pocket caused by Fermi-surface reconstruction, attributed to charge density-wave modulations observed in the same range of doping and temperature. We deduce that a similar Fermi-surface reconstruction takes place in Hg1201, evidence that density-wave order exists in this material. A striking similarity is also found in the normal-state Nernst coefficient, further supporting this interpretation. Given the model nature of Hg1201, Fermi-surface reconstruction appears to be common to all hole-doped cuprates, suggesting that density-wave order is a fundamental property of these materials.

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arXiv2013

Doping-Dependent Raman Resonance in the Model High-Temperature Superconductor HgBa2CuO4+d

We study the model high-temperature superconductor HgBa2CuO4+d with electronic Raman scattering and optical ellipsometry over a wide doping range. The resonant Raman condition which enhances the scattering cross section of "two-magnon" excitations is found to change strongly with doping, and it corresponds to a rearrangement of inter-band optical transitions in the 1-3 eV range seen by ellipsometry. This unexpected change of the resonance condition allows us to reconcile the apparent discrepancy between Raman and x-ray detection of magnetic fluctuations in superconducting cuprates. Intriguingly, the strongest variation occurs across the doping level where the antinodal superconducting gap reaches its maximum.

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arXiv2013

Absence of static orbital current magnetism at the apical oxygen site in HgBa$_2$CuO$_{4+δ}$ from NMR

The simple structure of HgBa$_2$CuO$_{4+δ}$ (Hg1201) is ideal among cuprates for study of the pseudogap phase as a broken symmetry state. We have performed $^{17}$O nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) on an underdoped Hg1201 crystal with transition temperature of 74 K to look for circulating orbital currents proposed theoretically and inferred from neutron scattering. The narrow spectra preclude static local fields in the pseudogap phase at the apical site, suggesting that the moments observed with neutrons are fluctuating. The NMR frequency shifts are consistent with a dipolar field from the Cu$^{+2}$ site.

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arXiv2013

Universal sheet resistance and revised phase diagram of the cuprate high-temperature superconductors

Upon introducing charge carriers into the copper-oxygen sheets of the enigmatic lamellar cuprates the ground state evolves from an insulator into a superconductor, and eventually into a seemingly conventional metal (a Fermi liquid). Much has remained elusive about the nature of this evolution and about the peculiar metallic state at intermediate hole-carrier concentrations (p). The planar resistivity of this unconventional metal exhibits a linear temperature dependence (ρ$\propto$ T) that is disrupted upon cooling toward the superconducting state by the opening of a partial gap (the pseudogap) on the Fermi surface. Here we first demonstrate for the quintessential compound HgBa$_2$CuO$_{4+δ}$ a dramatic switch from linear to purely quadratic (Fermi-liquid-like, ρ$\propto$ T$^2$) resistive behavior in the pseudogap regime. Despite the considerable variation in crystal structures and disorder among different compounds, our result together with prior work gives new insight into the p-T phase diagram and reveals the fundamental resistance per copper-oxygen sheet in both linear (ρ_S = A_{1S} T) and quadratic (ρ_S = A_{2S} T$^2$) regimes, with A_{1S} $\propto$ A_{2S} $\propto$ 1/p. Theoretical models can now be benchmarked against this remarkably simple universal behavior. Deviations from this underlying behavior can be expected to lead to new insights into the non-universal features exhibited by certain compounds.

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arXiv2013

Competition between the Pseudogap and Superconducting States of Bi$_{2}$Sr$_{2}$Ca$_{0.92}$Y$_{0.08}$Cu$_{2}$O$_{8+δ}$ Single Crystals Revealed by Ultrafast Broadband Optical Reflectivity

Ultrafast broadband transient reflectivity experiments are performed to study the interplay between the non-equilibrium dynamics of the pseudogap and the superconducting phases in Bi$_{2}$Sr$_{2}$Ca$_{0.92}$Y$_{0.08}$Cu$_{2}$O$_{8+δ}$. Once superconductivity is established the relaxation of the pseudogap proceeds $\sim$ 2 times faster than in the normal state, and the corresponding transient reflectivity variation changes sign after $\sim$ 0.5 ps. The results can be described by a set of coupled differential equations for the pseudogap and for the superconducting order parameter. The sign and strength of the coupling term suggest a remarkably weak competition between the two phases, allowing their coexistence.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2012

Universal superconducting fluctuations and the implications for the phase diagram of the cuprates

Superconductivity in the cuprates emerges from an enigmatic metallic state. There remain profound open questions regarding the universality of observed phenomena and the character of precursor fluctuations above the superconducting (SC) transition temperature (T_c). For single-CuO_2-layer La_{2-x}Sr_xCuO_4 (LSCO) and Bi_2(Sr,La)_2CuO_{6+δ} (Bi2201), some experiments seem to indicate an onset of SC fluctuations at very high temperatures (2-3 times T_c^{max}, the T_c value at optimal hole concentration p), whereas other measurements suggest that fluctuations are confined to the immediate vicinity of T_c(p). Here we use torque magnetization to resolve this conundrum by systematically studying LSCO, Bi2201 and HgBa_2CuO_{4+δ} (Hg1201). The latter is a more ideal single-layer compound, featuring high structural symmetry, minimal disorder, and T_c^{max} = 97 K, a value more than twice those of LSCO and Bi2201. We find in all three cases that SC diamagnetism vanishes in an unusual exponential fashion above T_c, and at a rapid rate that is universal. Furthermore, the high characteristic fluctuation temperatures of LSCO and Bi2201 closely track T_c(p) of Hg1201. These observations suggest that, rather than being indicative of SC diamagnetism, the fluctuations at high temperatures in the low-T_c^{max} compounds are associated with a competing order. This picture is further supported by an analysis of available results for double-layer cuprates.

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arXiv2012

Two Ising-like magnetic excitations in a single-layer cuprate superconductor

There exists increasing evidence that the phase diagram of the high-transition temperature (Tc) cuprate superconductors is controlled by a quantum critical point. One distinct theoretical proposal is that, with decreasing hole-carrier concentration, a transition occurs to an ordered state with two circulating orbital currents per CuO2 square. Below the 'pseudogap' temperature T* (T* > Tc), the theory predicts a discrete order parameter and two weakly-dispersive magnetic excitations in structurally simple compounds that should be measurable by neutron scattering. Indeed, novel magnetic order and one such excitation were recently observed. Here, we demonstrate for tetragonal HgBa2CuO4+d the existence of a second excitation with local character, consistent with the theory. The excitations mix with conventional antiferromagnetic fluctuations, which points toward a unifying picture of magnetism in the cuprates that will likely require a multi-band description.

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arXiv2012

Dynamical Interplay between Coexisting Orders in the Electron-Doped Cuprate Superconductor Nd_{2-x}Ce_xCuO_4

We use coherent pump-probe spectroscopy to measure the photoinduced reflectivity \DeltaR, and complex dielectric function, δ\in, of the electron-doped cuprate superconductor Nd_{2-x}Ce_xCuO_{4+δ} at a value of x near optimal doping, as a function of time, temperature, and laser fluence. We observe the onset of a negative \DeltaR at T=85 K, above the superconducting transition temperature, T_c, of 23 K, that exhibits a form of scaling consistent with critical fluctuations in the time domain. A positive ΔR onsets at T_c that we associate with superconducting order. We find that the two signals are strongly coupled below T_c, in a manner that suggests a repulsive interaction between superconductivity and antiferromagnetic correlations.

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arXiv2012

Evidence for a Fermi liquid in the pseudogap phase of high-Tc cuprates

Cuprate high-T_c superconductors on the Mott-insulating side of "optimal doping" (with respect to the highest T_c's) exhibit enigmatic behavior in the non-superconducting state. Near optimal doping the transport and spectroscopic properties are unlike those of a Landau-Fermi liquid. For carrier concentrations below optimal doping a pseudogap removes quasi-particle spectral weight from parts of the Fermi surface, and causes a break-up of the Fermi surface into disconnected nodal and anti-nodal sectors. Here we show that the near-nodal excitations of underdoped cuprates obey Fermi liquid behavior. Our optical measurements reveal that the dynamical relaxation rate 1/tau(omega,T) collapses on a universal function proportional to (hbar omega)^2+(1.5 pi k_B T)^2. Hints at possible Fermi liquid behavior came from the recent discovery of quantum oscillations at low temperature and high magnetic field in underdoped YBa2Cu3O6+d and YBa2Cu4O8, from the observed T^2-dependence of the DC (ω=0) resistivity for both overdoped and underdoped cuprates, and from the two-fluid analysis of nuclear magnetic resonance data. However, the direct spectroscopic determination of the energy dependence of the life-time of the excitations -provided by our measurements- has been elusive up to now. This observation defies the standard lore of non-Fermi liquid physics in high T_c cuprates on the underdoped side of the phase diagram.

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arXiv2011

Relationship among superconductivity, pseudogap, and high-energy magnetic fluctuations in a model high-Tc superconductor from electronic Raman scattering

We use electronic Raman scattering to study the model single-layer cuprate superconductor HgBa2CuO4+d. In an overdoped sample, we observe a pronounced amplitude enhancement of a high-energy peak related to two-magnon excitations in insulating cuprates upon cooling below the critical temperature Tc. This effect is accompanied by the appearance of the superconducting gap and a pairing peak above the gap in the Raman spectrum, and it can be understood as a consequence of feedback of the Cooper pairing interaction on the high-energy magnetic fluctuations. All of these effects occur already above Tc in two underdoped samples, demonstrating a related feedback mechanism associated with the pseudogap.

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arXiv2011

Evidence of a photoinduced non-thermal superconducting-to-normal-state phase transition in overdoped Bi$_{2}$Sr$_{2}$Ca$_{0.92}$Y$_{0.08}$Cu$_{2}$O$_{8+δ}$

Here we report extensive ultrafast time-resolved reflectivity experiments on overdoped Bi$_{2}$Sr$_{2}$Ca$_{1-x}$Y$_x$Cu$_{2}$O$_{8+δ}$ single crystals (T$_C$=78 K) aimed to clarify the nature of the superconducting-to-normal-state photoinduced phase transition. The experimental data show the lack of the quasiparticles decay time divergence at the fluence required to induce this phase transition, in contrast to the thermally-driven phase transition observed at T$_C$ and at variance with recently reported photoinduced charge-density-wave and spin-density-wave to metal phase transitions. Our data demonstrate the non-thermal character of the superconducting-to-normal-state photoinduced phase transition. The data have been analyzed using an ad-hoc developed time-dependent Rothwarf-Taylor model, opening the question on the order of this non-equilibrium phase transition.

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arXiv2010

Magnetic vortex lattice in HgBa2CuO4+x observed by small-angle neutron scattering

We report a direct observation of the magnetic vortex lattice in the model high-temperature superconductor HgBa2CuO4+x. Using small-angle neutron scattering on high-quality crystals, we observe two equal domains of undistorted triangular vortex lattices well-aligned with the tetragonal crystallographic axes. The signal decreases rapidly with increasing magnetic field and vanishes above 0.4 Tesla, which we attribute to a crossover from a three-dimensional to a two-dimensional vortex system, similar to previous results for the more anisotropic compound Bi2.15Sr1.95CaCu2O8+x. Our result indicates that a triangular vortex lattice at low magnetic fields is a generic property to cuprates with critical temperatures above 80 K.

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arXiv2010

Unraveling the Nature of Charge Excitations in La$_2$CuO$_4$ with Momentum-Resolved Cu $K$-edge Resonant Inelastic X-ray Scattering

Results of model calculations using exact diagonalization reveal the orbital character of states associated with different Raman loss peaks in Cu $K$-edge resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) from La$_{2}$CuO$_{4}$. The model includes electronic orbitals necessary to highlight non-local Zhang-Rice singlet, charge transfer and $d$-$d$ excitations, as well as states with apical oxygen 2$p_z$ character. The dispersion of these excitations is discussed with prospects for resonant final state wave-function mapping. A good agreement with experiments emphasizes the substantial multi-orbital character of RIXS profiles in the energy transfer range 1-6 eV.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2010

Lattice coupling and Franck-Condon effects in K-edge resonant inelastic X-ray scattering

We discuss recent Cu K-edge resonant inelastic scattering (RIXS) results for CuB2O4, a model system consisting of electronically-isolated CuO4 plaquettes, which exhibits anomalies in the incident photon energy dependence that are not captured by electron-only models. We show that these anomalous features can be qualitatively described by extending the electron-only considerations to include the lattice degrees of freedom. Our findings have important general implications for the interpretation of K-edge RIXS results for electronically higher-dimensional transition metal oxides.

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