arXiv subjects

Marija Vučković

Publications and source records attributed to Marija Vučković.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Cu NMR study of lightly doped La$_{2-x}$Sr$_{x}$CuO$_4$

We present a single crystal Cu NMR study of the cuprate superconductor La$_{2-x}$Sr$_{x}$CuO$_4$ with hole doping levels between $x=2$\% and $8$\%. Measurements with short spin echo times enable us to systematically study the local properties of the electronic spin system in the region of the phase diagram where the material evolves from the insulating antiferromagnetic parent phase to the superconducting state. We find evidence for qualitative changes as the Sr concentration increases through $x=5$\% in both NMR spectra and relaxation times, which we interpret as signatures of a low-temperature transition from a state with disconnected metallic islands to a granular metal with tunneling between the grains. These results provide microscopic insight into the physics of a doped charge-transfer insulator in the presence of quenched substitutional disorder, indicate that a connectivity transition occurs, and demonstrate that complex nanoscale electronic phase separation is ubiquitous in LSCO around the doping level where superconductivity first appears in the phase diagram.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2017

Emergence of superconductivity in the cuprates via a universal percolation process

A pivotal step toward understanding unconventional superconductors would be to decipher how superconductivity emerges from the unusual normal state upon cooling. In the cuprates, traces of superconducting pairing appear above the macroscopic transition temperature $T_c$, yet extensive investigation has led to disparate conclusions. The main difficulty has been the separation of superconducting contributions from complex normal state behaviour. Here we avoid this problem by measuring the nonlinear conductivity, an observable that is zero in the normal state. We uncover for several representative cuprates that the nonlinear conductivity vanishes exponentially above $T_c$, both with temperature and magnetic field, and exhibits temperature-scaling characterized by a nearly universal scale $T_0$. Attempts to model the response with the frequently evoked Ginzburg-Landau theory are unsuccessful. Instead, our findings are captured by a simple percolation model that can also explain other properties of the cuprates. We thus resolve a long-standing conundrum by showing that the emergence of superconductivity in the cuprates is dominated by their inherent inhomogeneity.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2016

Unconventional electronic order in a codoped high-Tc superconductor

Charge stripe order has recently been established as an important ingredient of the physics of cuprate high-T$_c$ superconductors. However, due to the complex interplay between competing phases and the influence of disorder, it is unclear how it emerges from the parent metallic state. Here we report on the discovery of an unconventional electronic ordered phase between charge-stripe order and (pseudogapped) metal in the cuprate La$_{2-x-y}$Eu$_{y}$Sr$_x$CuO$_4$ with $y = 0.2$ (LESCO). The peculiar properties of the intermediate phase are revealed through three complementary experiments: nuclear quadrupole resonance, nonlinear conductivity, and specific heat. We demonstrate that the order appears through a sharp phase transition, and exists in a dome-shaped region of the phase diagram, similar to charge stripes. A comparison to recent theoretical work shows that the order is a state without broken translational symmetry -- a charge nematic. We thus resolve the complex process of charge stripe development in cuprates, show that the nematic phase is unrelated to high-temperature pseudogap physics, and establish a link with other strongly correlated electronic materials where nematic order is prominent.

cond-mat.str-el↗