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Abstract
Close to a zero-temperature transition between ordered and disordered
electronic phases, quantum fluctuations can lead to a strong enhancement
of electron mass and to the emergence of competing phases such as
superconductivity. A correlation between the existence of such a quantum
phase transition and superconductivity is quite well established in
some heavy fermion and iron-based superconductors, and there have been
suggestions that high-temperature superconductivity in copper-oxide
materials (cuprates) may also be driven by the same mechanism. Close to
optimal doping, where the superconducting transition temperature Tc
is maximal in cuprates, two different phases are known to compete with
superconductivity: a poorly understood pseudogap phase and a
charge-ordered phase. Recent experiments have shown a strong increase in
quasiparticle mass m* in the cuprate YBa2Cu3O7-δ
as optimal doping is approached, suggesting that quantum fluctuations
of the charge-ordered phase may be responsible for the high-Tc superconductivity. We have tested the robustness of this correlation between m* and Tc by performing quantum oscillation studies on the stoichiometric compound YBa2Cu4O8 under hydrostatic pressure. In contrast to the results for YBa2Cu3O7-δ, we find that in YBa2Cu4O8, the mass decreases as Tc increases under pressure. This inverse correlation between m* and Tc suggests that quantum fluctuations of the charge order enhance m* but do not enhance Tc.
Original language | English |
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Article number | e1501657 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Science Advances |
Volume | 2 |
Issue number | 3 |
Early online date | 18 Mar 2016 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Mar 2016 |
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Dive into the research topics of 'Inverse correlation between quasiparticle mass and Tc in a cuprate high-Tc superconductor'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Projects
- 1 Finished
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Fermi Surface Reconstruction in Cuprate High Temperature Superconductors
31/08/13 → 28/02/17
Project: Research