Vortex phase diagram and the normal state of cuprates with charge and spin orders.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 32110736.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1126/sciadv.aay8946 and PMC identifier 7021506.
- Licence recorded as CC BY-NC.
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Abstract
The phase diagram of underdoped cuprates in a magnetic field (<i>H</i>) is key to understanding the anomalous normal state of these high-temperature superconductors. However, the upper critical field (<i>H</i> <sub>c2</sub>), the extent of superconducting (SC) phase with vortices, and the role of charge orders at high H remain controversial. Here we study stripe-ordered La-214, i.e., cuprates in which charge orders are most pronounced and zero-field SC transition temperatures <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mrow> <mrow><msubsup><mi>T</mi> <mi>c</mi> <mn>0</mn></msubsup> </mrow> </mrow> </math> are lowest. This enables us to explore the vortex phases in a previously inaccessible energy scale window. By combining linear and nonlinear transport techniques sensitive to vortex matter, we determine the <i>T</i> - <i>H</i> phase diagram, directly detect <i>H</i> <sub>c2</sub>, and reveal novel properties of the high-field ground state. Our results demonstrate that quantum fluctuations and disorder play a key role as <i>T</i> → <i>0</i>, while the high-field ground state is likely a metal, not an insulator, due to the presence of stripes.