skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Title: Anomalous quantum criticality in the electron-doped cuprates
In the physics of condensed matter, quantum critical phenomena and unconventional superconductivity are two major themes. In electron-doped cuprates, the low critical field (HC2) allows one to study the putative quantum critical point (QCP) at low temperature and to understand its connection to the long-standing problem of the origin of the high-TCsuperconductivity. Here we present measurements of the low-temperature normal-state thermopower (S) of the electron-doped cuprate superconductor La2−xCexCuO4(LCCO) fromx= 0.11–0.19. We observe quantum critical S / T versus l n ( 1 / T ) behavior over an unexpectedly wide doping rangex= 0.15–0.17 above the QCP (x= 0.14), with a slope that scales monotonically with the superconducting transition temperature (TCwith H = 0). The presence of quantum criticality over a wide doping range provides a window on the criticality. The thermopower behavior also suggests that the critical fluctuations are linked withTC. Above the superconductivity dome, atx= 0.19, a conventional Fermi-liquid S T behavior is found for T 40 K.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1708334
PAR ID:
10087945
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ;
Publisher / Repository:
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Volume:
116
Issue:
13
ISSN:
0027-8424
Page Range / eLocation ID:
p. 5991-5994
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. Abstract We generalize a magnetogram-matching Biot–Savart law (BSl) from planar to spherical geometry. For a given coronal current densityJ, this law determines the magnetic field B ˜ whose radial component vanishes at the surface. The superposition of B ˜ with a potential field defined by a given surface radial field,Br, provides the entire configuration whereBrremains unchanged by the currents. Using this approach, we (1) upgrade our regularized BSls for constructing coronal magnetic flux ropes (MFRs) and (2) propose a new method for decomposing a measured photospheric magnetic field as B = B pot + B T + B S ˜ , where the potential,Bpot, toroidal,BT, and poloidal, B S ˜ , fields are determined byBr,Jr, and the surface divergence ofB–Bpot, respectively, all derived from magnetic data. OurBTis identical to the one in the alternative Gaussian decomposition by P. W. Schuck et al., whileBpotand B S ˜ are different from their poloidal fields B P < and B P > , which arepotentialin the infinitesimal proximity to the upper and lower side of the surface, respectively. In contrast, our B S ˜ has no such constraints and, asBpotandBT, refers to thesameupper side of the surface. In spite of these differences, for a continuousJdistribution across the surface,Bpotand B S ˜ are linear combinations of B P < and B P > . We demonstrate that, similar to the Gaussian method, our decomposition allows one to identify the footprints and projected surface-location of MFRs in the solar corona, as well as the direction and connectivity of their currents. 
    more » « less
  2. We report results of large-scale ground-state density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) calculations on t- t -J cylinders with circumferences 6 and 8. We determine a rough phase diagram that appears to approximate the two-dimensional (2D) system. While for many properties, positive and negative t values ( t / t = ± 0.2 ) appear to correspond to electron- and hole-doped cuprate systems, respectively, the behavior of superconductivity itself shows an inconsistency between the model and the materials. The t < 0 (hole-doped) region shows antiferromagnetism limited to very low doping, stripes more generally, and the familiar Fermi surface of the hole-doped cuprates. However, we find t < 0 strongly suppresses superconductivity. The t > 0 (electron-doped) region shows the expected circular Fermi pocket of holes around the ( π , π ) point and a broad low-doped region of coexisting antiferromagnetism and d-wave pairing with a triplet p component at wavevector ( π , π ) induced by the antiferromagnetism and d-wave pairing. The pairing for the electron low-doped system with t > 0 is strong and unambiguous in the DMRG simulations. At larger doping another broad region with stripes in addition to weaker d-wave pairing and striped p-wave pairing appears. In a small doping region near x = 0.08 for t 0.2 , we find an unconventional type of stripe involving unpaired holes located predominantly on chains spaced three lattice spacings apart. The undoped two-leg ladder regions in between mimic the short-ranged spin correlations seen in two-leg Heisenberg ladders. 
    more » « less
  3. We present measurements of thermally generated transverse spin currents in the topological insulator Bi2Se3, thereby completing measurements of interconversions among the full triad of thermal gradients, charge currents, and spin currents. We accomplish this by comparing the spin Nernst magneto-thermopower to the spin Hall magnetoresistance for bilayers of Bi2Se3/CoFeB. We find that Bi2Se3does generate substantial thermally driven spin currents. A lower bound for the ratio of spin current density to thermal gradient is J s x T = (4.9 ± 0.9) × 106 ( 2 e ) A   m 2 K   μ m 1 , and a lower bound for the magnitude of the spin Nernst ratio is −0.61 ± 0.11. The spin Nernst ratio for Bi2Se3is the largest among all materials measured to date, two to three times larger compared to previous measurements for the heavy metals Pt and W. Strong thermally generated spin currents in Bi2Se3can be understood via Mott relations to be due to an overall large spin Hall conductivity and its dependence on electron energy. 
    more » « less
  4. Abstract Single crystals of the quasi-skutterudite compounds Ca3(Ir1-xRhx)4Sn13(3–4–13) were synthesized by flux growth and characterized by x-ray diffraction, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, magnetization, resistivity, and radio frequency magnetic susceptibility techniques. The coexistence and competition between the charge density wave (CDW) and superconductivity was studied by varying the Rh/Ir ratio. The superconducting transition temperature, T c , varies from 7 K in pure Ir (x = 0) to 8.3 K in pure Rh (x = 1). Temperature-dependent electrical resistivity reveals monotonic suppression of the CDW transition temperature,TCDW(x). The CDW starts in pure Ir,x = 0, atTCDW≈ 40 K and extrapolates roughly linearly to zero at x c 0.53–0.58 under the superconducting dome. Magnetization and transport measurements show a significant influence of CDW on superconducting and normal states. Meissner expulsion is substantially reduced in the CDW region, indicating competition between the CDW and superconductivity. The low-temperature resistivity is higher in the CDW part of the phase diagram, consistent with the reduced density of states due to CDW gapping. Its temperature dependence just above T c shows signs of non-Fermi liquid behavior in a cone-like composition pattern. We conclude that the Ca3(Ir1-xRhx)4Sn13alloy is a good candidate for a composition-driven quantum critical point at ambient pressure. 
    more » « less
  5. While hydrogen-rich materials have been demonstrated to exhibit high Tcsuperconductivity at high pressures, there is an ongoing search for ternary, quaternary, and more chemically complex hydrides that achieve such high critical temperatures at much lower pressures. First-principles searches are impeded by the computational complexity of solving the Eliashberg equations for large, complex crystal structures. Here, we adopt a simplified approach using electronic indicators previously established to be correlated with superconductivity in hydrides. This is used to study complex hydride structures, which are predicted to exhibit promisingly high critical temperatures for superconductivity. In particular, we propose three classes of hydrides inspired by the Fm 3 ¯ m RH 3 structures that exhibit strong hydrogen network connectivity, as defined through the electron localization function. The first class [RH 11 X 3 Y] is based on a Pm 3 ¯ m structure showing moderately high Tc, where the Tcestimate from electronic properties is compared with direct Eliashberg calculations and found to be surprisingly accurate. The second class of structures [(RH 11 ) 2 X 6 YZ] improves on this with promisingly high density of states with dominant hydrogen character at the Fermi energy, typically enhancing Tc. The third class [(R 1 H 11 )(R 2 H 11 )X 6 YZ] improves the strong hydrogen network connectivity by introducing anisotropy in the hydrogen network through a specific doping pattern. These design principles and associated model structures provide flexibility to optimize both Tcand the structural stability of complex hydrides. 
    more » « less