Gapped commensurate antiferromagnetic response in a strongly underdoped model cuprate superconductor

Anderson, Zachary W.; Tang, Y.; Nagarajan, V.; Chan, M. K.; Dorow, C. J.; Yu, G.; Abernathy, Douglas L.; Christianson, Andrew D.; Mangin-Thro, L.; Steffens, P.; Sterling, T.; Reznik, Dmitry; Bounoua, D.; Sidis, Y.; Bourges, Philippe; Greven, M.

doi:10.1038/s41535-025-00804-0

Gapped commensurate antiferromagnetic response in a strongly underdoped model cuprate superconductor

Journal Article · Wed Aug 20 00:00:00 EDT 2025 · npj Quantum Materials

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41535-025-00804-0· OSTI ID:2584516

Anderson, Zachary W. ^[1]; Tang, Y. ^[1]; Nagarajan, V. ^[1]; Chan, M. K. ^[2]; Dorow, C. J. ^[1]; Yu, G. ^[1]; ^[3]; ^[3]; Mangin-Thro, L. ^[4]; Steffens, P. ^[4]; Sterling, T. ^[5]; Reznik, Dmitry ^[5]; Bounoua, D. ^[6]; Sidis, Y. ^[6]; Bourges, Philippe ^[6]; Greven, M. ^[1]

University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN (United States)
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN (United States)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Institut Laue-Langevin, Grenoble (France)
University of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States)
Université Paris-Saclay CEA-Saclay, Gif sur Yvette (France)

It is a distinct possibility that spin fluctuations are the pairing interactions in numerous unconventional superconductors. In the high-transition-temperature (high-T_c) cuprates, superconductivity emerges upon doping antiferromagnetic Mott insulators, and spin fluctuations might furthermore drive unusual pseudogap phenomena. Here we use magnetic neutron scattering to study the highly underdoped cuprate HgBa₂CuO_4+δ (hole concentration p ≈ 0.064). In contrast to prior results for other underdoped cuprates, we find no evidence of incommensurate magnetic order associated with spin-density-wave or stripe correlations. Instead, the antiferromagnetic response in both the superconducting and pseudogap states is gapped below Δ_AF ≈ 6 meV, commensurate over a wide energy range, and disperses above about 55 meV. Given the pristine nature of HgBa₂CuO_4+δ, which exhibits high structural symmetry and minimal point disorder effects, this behavior likely signifies the unmasked response of the underlying CuO₂ planes near the Mott-insulating state. These results serve as a benchmark for a refined theoretical understanding of the cuprates.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0016371; SC0024117

OSTI ID:: 2584516

Journal Information:: npj Quantum Materials, Journal Name: npj Quantum Materials Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 10; ISSN 2397-4648

Publisher:: Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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