Instituut-Lorentz for Theoretical Physics, Universiteit Leiden, 2300 Leiden, Netherlands.
Science. 2011 Jul 22;333(6041):426-30. doi: 10.1126/science.1201082.
We study the coexisting smectic modulations and intra-unit-cell nematicity in the pseudogap states of underdoped Bi(2)Sr(2)CaCu(2)O(8+δ). By visualizing their spatial components separately, we identified 2π topological defects throughout the phase-fluctuating smectic states. Imaging the locations of large numbers of these topological defects simultaneously with the fluctuations in the intra-unit-cell nematicity revealed strong empirical evidence for a coupling between them. From these observations, we propose a Ginzburg-Landau functional describing this coupling and demonstrate how it can explain the coexistence of the smectic and intra-unit-cell broken symmetries and also correctly predict their interplay at the atomic scale. This theoretical perspective can lead to unraveling the complexities of the phase diagram of cuprate high-critical-temperature superconductors.
我们研究了欠掺杂 Bi(2)Sr(2)CaCu(2)O(8+δ) 中赝能隙态中的共存的近晶 A 调制和单元内向列相。通过分别可视化它们的空间分量，我们在整个相涨落的近晶 A 相中识别出了 2π 拓扑缺陷。同时对大量这些拓扑缺陷的位置以及单元内向列相涨落进行成像，为它们之间的耦合提供了强有力的经验证据。从这些观察结果中，我们提出了一个描述这种耦合的吉布斯-朗道泛函，并展示了它如何能够解释近晶 A 和单元内向列相的对称破缺的共存，以及如何正确地预测它们在原子尺度上的相互作用。这种理论观点可以帮助揭示铜酸盐高温超导相图的复杂性。
