Observation of a saddle-point singularity in Bi2(Sr0.97Pr0.03)2CuO6+ delta and its implications for normal and superconducting state properties

Re-entrant charge order in overdoped (Bi,Pb)2.12Sr1.88CuO6+δ outside the pseudogap regime

In the underdoped regime, the cuprate high-temperature superconductors exhibit a host of unusual collective phenomena, including unconventional spin and charge density modulations, Fermi surface reconstructions, and a pseudogap in various physical observables. Conversely, overdoped cuprates are generally regarded as conventional Fermi liquids possessing no collective electronic order. In partial contradiction to this widely held picture, we report resonant X-ray scattering measurements revealing incommensurate charge order reflections for overdoped (Bi,Pb)_2.12Sr_1.88CuO_6+δ (Bi2201), with correlation lengths of 40-60 lattice units, that persist up to temperatures of at least 250 K. The value of the charge order wavevector decreases with doping, in line with the extrapolation of the trend previously observed in underdoped Bi2201. In overdoped materials, however, charge order coexists with a single, unreconstructed Fermi surface without nesting or pseudogap features. The discovery of re-entrant charge order in Bi2201 thus calls for investigations in other cuprate families and for a reconsideration of theories that posit an essential relationship between these phenomena.

Tunneling spectra of layered strongly correlated d-wave superconductors

Tunneling conductance experiments on cuprate superconductors exhibit a large diversity of spectra that appear in different nanosized regions of inhomogeneous samples. In this Letter, we use a mean-field approach to the tt't''J model in order to address the features in these spectra that deviate from the BCS paradigm, namely, the bias sign asymmetry at high bias, the generic lack of evidence for the van Hove singularity, and the absence of coherence peaks at low dopings. We conclude that these features can be reproduced in homogeneous layered d-wave superconductors solely due to a proximate Mott insulating transition. We also establish the connection between the above tunneling spectral features and the strong renormalization of the electron dispersion around (0, pi) and (pi, 0) and the momentum space anisotropy of electronic states observed in angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy experiments.

Structural matters in HTSC: the origin and form of stripe organization and checkerboarding

The paper deals with the controversial charge and spin self-organization phenomena in the HTSC cuprates, of which neutron, x-ray, STM and ARPES experiments give complementary, sometimes apparently contradictory glimpses. The examination has been set in the context of the boson-fermion, negative-U understanding of HTSC advocated over many years by the author. Stripe models are developed which are 2-q in nature and diagonal in form. For such a geometry to be compatible with the data rests upon both the spin and charge arrays being face-centred. Various special doping concentrations are closely looked at, in particular p = 0.1836 or 9/49, which is associated with the maximization of the superconducting condensation energy and the termination of the pseudogap regime. The stripe models are dictated by real space organization of the holes, whereas the dispersionless checkerboarding is interpreted in terms of correlation driven collapse of normal Fermi surface behaviour and response functions. The incommensurate spin diffraction below the 'resonance energy' is seen as in no way expressing spin-wave physics or Fermi surface nesting, but is driven by charge and strain (Jahn-Teller) considerations, and it stands virtually without dispersion. The apparent dispersion comes from the downward dispersion of the resonance peak, and the growth of a further incoherent commensurate peak pursuant upon the falling level of charge stripe organization under excitation.

Metallic mean-field stripes, incommensurability, and chemical potential in cuprates

We perform a systematic slave-boson mean-field analysis of the three-band model for cuprates with first-principle parameters. Contrary to widespread belief based on earlier mean-field computations low doping stripes have a linear density close to 1/2 added hole per lattice constant. We find a dimensional crossover from 1D to 2D at doping approximately 0.1 followed by a breaking of particle-hole symmetry around doping 1/8 as doping increases. Our results explain in a simple way the behavior of the chemical potential, the magnetic incommensurability, and transport experiments as a function of doping. Bond centered and site-centered stripes become degenerate for small overdoping.

Observation of d(x2-y2)-like superconducting gap in an electron-doped high-temperature superconductor

High-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy of the electron-doped high-temperature superconductor Nd(2-x)Ce(x)CuO4 (x = 0.15, transition temperature T(c) = 22 K) has found the quasiparticle signature as well as the anisotropic d(x2-y2)-like superconducting gap. The spectral line shape at the superconducting state shows a strong anisotropic nature of the many-body interaction. The result suggests that the electron-hole symmetry is present in the high-temperature superconductors.

Photoemission Studies of High- T c Superconductors: The Superconducting Gap

Over the last several years there have been great improvements in the energy resolution and detection efficiency of angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. These improvements have made it possible to discover a number of fascinating features in the electronic structure of the high transition temperature (T(c)) superconductors: apparently bandlike Fermi surfaces, flat-band saddle points, and nested Fermi surface sections. Recent work suggests that these features, previously thought explainable only by one-electron band theory, may be better understood with a many-body approach. Furthermore, other properties of the high-T(c) superconductors, which are difficult to understand with band theory, are well described using a many-body picture. Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy has also been used to investigate the nature of the superconducting pairing state, revealing an anisotropic gap consistent with a d-wave order parameter and fueling the current debate over s-wave versus d-wave superconductivity.