Calculation of an Enhanced A_{1g} Symmetry Mode Induced by Higgs Oscillations in the Raman Spectrum of High-Temperature Cuprate Superconductors

In superconductors the Anderson-Higgs mechanism allows for the existence of a collective amplitude (Higgs) mode which can couple to eV light mainly in a nonlinear Raman-like process. The experimental nonequilibrium results on isotropic superconductors have been explained going beyond the BCS theory including the Higgs mode. Furthermore, in anisotropic d-wave superconductors strong interaction effects with other modes are expected. Here we calculate the Raman contribution of the Higgs mode from a new perspective, including many-body Higgs oscillations effects and their consequences in conventional, spontaneous Raman spectroscopy. Our results suggest a significant contribution to the intensity of the A_{1g} symmetry Raman spectrum in d-wave superconductors. In order to test our theory, we predict the presence of measurable characteristic oscillations in THz quench-optical probe time-dependent reflectivity experiments.

Coupling of Higgs and Leggett modes in non-equilibrium superconductors

In equilibrium systems amplitude and phase collective modes are decoupled, as they are mutually orthogonal excitations. The direct detection of these Higgs and Leggett collective modes by linear-response measurements is not possible, because they do not couple directly to the electromagnetic field. In this work, using numerical exact simulations we show for the case of two-gap superconductors, that optical pump–probe experiments excite both Higgs and Leggett modes out of equilibrium. We find that this non-adiabatic excitation process introduces a strong interaction between the collective modes, which is absent in equilibrium. Moreover, we propose a type of pump–probe experiment, which allows to probe and coherently control the Higgs and Leggett modes, and thus the order parameter directly. These findings go beyond two-band superconductors and apply to general collective modes in quantum materials.

Collective modes of amplitude and phase are decoupled in equilibrium systems, limiting the understanding of competing orders in correlated material. Here, Krull et al. report that a non-adiabatic pump pulse can induce an intricate coupling between Leggett and Higgs modes, providing a way to couple collective modes in non-equilibrium condition.

Feedback effect on high-energy magnetic fluctuations in the model high-temperature superconductor HgBa2CuO(4+δ) observed by electronic Raman scattering

We use electronic Raman scattering to study the model single-layer cuprate superconductor HgBa(2)CuO(4+δ). In an overdoped sample, we observe a pronounced amplitude enhancement of a high-energy peak related to two-magnon excitations in insulating cuprates upon cooling below the critical temperature T(c). This effect is accompanied by the appearance of the superconducting gap and a pairing peak above the gap in the Raman spectrum, and it can be understood as a hitherto-undetected feedback effect on the high-energy magnetic fluctuations due to the Cooper pairing interaction. This implies a direct involvement of the high-energy magnetic fluctuations in the pairing mechanism. All of these effects occur already above T(c) in two underdoped samples, demonstrating a related feedback mechanism associated with the pseudogap.

Two-component dynamics of the order parameter of high temperature Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+delta superconductors revealed by time-resolved Raman scattering

We study the dynamics of the superconducting order parameter in the high-Tc cuprate Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+delta by employing a novel time-resolved pump-probe Raman experiment. We find two different coupling mechanisms that contribute equally to the pair-breaking peak. One coupling sets in very fast at 2 ps and relaxes slowly, while the other one is delayed and sets in roughly at 5 ps and relaxes fast. A model that couples holes through phonons is able to reproduce one part of the condensate dynamics; thus, we argue that hole-spin interactions are of importance as well.

Fermi-liquid-based theory for the in-plane magnetic anisotropy in untwinned high-Tc superconductors

Using a generalized RPA-type theory we calculate the in-plane anisotropy of the magnetic excitations in hole-doped high-Tc superconductors. Extending our earlier Fermi-liquid-based studies on the resonance peak by inclusion of orthorhombicity we still find two-dimensional spin excitations, however, being strongly anisotropic. This reflects the underlying anisotropy of the hopping matrix elements and of the resultant superconducting gap function. We compare our calculations with new experimental data on fully untwinned YBa2Cu3O6.85 and find good agreement. Our results are in contrast to earlier interpretations on the in-plane anisotropy in terms of stripes [H. Mook, Nature (London) 404, 729 (2000)], but reveal a conventional solution to this important problem.

A hidden pseudogap under the 'dome' of superconductivity in electron-doped high-temperature superconductors

The ground state of superconductors is characterized by the long-range order of condensed Cooper pairs: this is the only order present in conventional superconductors. The high-transition-temperature (high-T(c)) superconductors, in contrast, exhibit more complex phase behaviour, which might indicate the presence of other competing ground states. For example, the pseudogap--a suppression of the accessible electronic states at the Fermi level in the normal state of high-T(c) superconductors-has been interpreted as either a precursor to superconductivity or as tracer of a nearby ground state that can be separated from the superconducting state by a quantum critical point. Here we report the existence of a second order parameter hidden within the superconducting phase of the underdoped (electron-doped) high-T(c) superconductor Pr2-xCe(x)CuO4-y and the newly synthesized electron-doped material La2-xCe(x)CuO4-y (ref. 8). The existence of a pseudogap when superconductivity is suppressed excludes precursor superconductivity as its origin. Our observation is consistent with the presence of a (quantum) phase transition at T = 0, which may be a key to understanding high-T(c) superconductivity. This supports the picture that the physics of high-T(c) superconductors is determined by the interplay between competing and coexisting ground states.

Analysis of the elementary excitations in high-T(c) cuprates: explanation of the new energy scale observed by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy

We analyze the energy and momentum dependence of the elementary excitations in high- T(c) superconductors resulting from the coupling to spin fluctuations. As a result of the energy dependence of the self-energy Sigma(k,omega), characteristic features occur in the spectral density explaining the "kink" in recent angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy experiments. We present results for the spectral density A(k,omega) for the feedback of superconductivity on the excitations, and for the superconducting order parameter Delta(k,omega). These results relate also to inelastic neutron scattering and tunneling experiments and shed important light on the essential ingredients a theory of the elementary excitations in the cuprates must contain.

Displaced fractures of the scaphoid

The scaphoid is the most commonly fractured carpal bone. The displaced fracture poses a particular surgical problem. While scaphoid fractures as a group show a 90%-95% union rate, those fractures with greater than 1 mm of displacement are associated with a 55% incidence of nonunion and a 50% rate of avascular necrosis. Displaced fractures that unite spontaneously do so only after prolonged immobilization and are associated with a greater incidence of painful malunion. Displaced scaphoid fractures that result in malunion or nonunion are more prone to develop late carpal osteoarthritis. The higher incidence of complications with the displaced scaphoid fracture suggests that an anatomic reduction is essential. If closed manipulation is unsuccessful, open reduction and internal fixation are indicated.

The evaluation of a biphasic calcium phosphate ceramic for use in grafting long-bone diaphyseal defects

The effectiveness of a sintered hydroxyapatite-tricalcium phosphate (HA-TCP) ceramic in bridging large diaphyseal defects in the canine ulna was studied. One-hundred percent morselized HA-TCP, a 50:50 mixture of morselized HA-TCP, and autogenous cancellous bone, and 100% autogenous cancellous bone were used to bridge 2.5-cm defects in the left ulnae of three groups of six dogs each. At 24 weeks the ulnae were explanted and studied by radiography, microradiography, mechanical testing, and histology. Pure HA/TCP was not osteoinductive, and four of six ulnae in this group progressed to a fibrous nonunion. The HA/TCP-cancellous bone mixture and pure cancellous bone were approximately equal in effect, leading to good callus formation at 4 weeks and strong bony union by 24 weeks, with no evidence of bioincompatibility. Morselized HA/TCP promises to be useful as a graft extender when mixed with autogenous cancellous bone.