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Title: Locating the Missing Superconducting Electrons in the Overdoped Cuprates La 2 x Sr x CuO 4 [Locating the Missing Superconducting Electrons in Overdoped Cuprates]

Abstract

Overdoped high-temperature cuprate superconductors have often been understood within the standard BCS framework of superconductivity. However, measurements in a variety of overdoped cuprates indicate that the superfluid density is much smaller than expected from BCS theory and decreases smoothly to zero as the doping is increased. Here, we combine time-domain THz spectroscopy with kHz range mutual inductance measurements on the same overdoped La2–xSrxCuO4 films to determine the total, superfluid, and uncondensed spectral weight as a function of doping. A significant fraction of the carriers remains uncondensed in a wide Drude-like peak as T → 0, while the superfluid density remains linear in temperature. These observations are seemingly inconsistent with existing, realistic theories of impurity scattering suppressing the superfluid density in a BCS-like d-wave superconductor. Furthermore, our large measurement frequency range gives us a unique look at the low frequency spectral weight distribution, which may suggest the presence of quantum phase fluctuations as the critical doping is approached.

Authors:
 [1];  [2]; ORCiD logo [2];  [1]
  1. The Johns Hopkins Univ., Baltimore, MD (United States)
  2. Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
OSTI Identifier:
1493573
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1491058
Report Number(s):
BNL-211247-2019-JAAM
Journal ID: ISSN 0031-9007; PRLTAO
Grant/Contract Number:  
SC0012704; FG02-08ER46544
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Physical Review Letters
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 122; Journal Issue: 2; Journal ID: ISSN 0031-9007
Publisher:
American Physical Society (APS)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY

Citation Formats

Mahmood, Fahad, He, Xi, Božović, Ivan, and Armitage, N. P. Locating the Missing Superconducting Electrons in the Overdoped Cuprates La2–xSrxCuO4 [Locating the Missing Superconducting Electrons in Overdoped Cuprates]. United States: N. p., 2019. Web. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.122.027003.
Mahmood, Fahad, He, Xi, Božović, Ivan, & Armitage, N. P. Locating the Missing Superconducting Electrons in the Overdoped Cuprates La2–xSrxCuO4 [Locating the Missing Superconducting Electrons in Overdoped Cuprates]. United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.122.027003
Mahmood, Fahad, He, Xi, Božović, Ivan, and Armitage, N. P. Wed . "Locating the Missing Superconducting Electrons in the Overdoped Cuprates La2–xSrxCuO4 [Locating the Missing Superconducting Electrons in Overdoped Cuprates]". United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.122.027003. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1493573.
@article{osti_1493573,
title = {Locating the Missing Superconducting Electrons in the Overdoped Cuprates La2–xSrxCuO4 [Locating the Missing Superconducting Electrons in Overdoped Cuprates]},
author = {Mahmood, Fahad and He, Xi and Božović, Ivan and Armitage, N. P.},
abstractNote = {Overdoped high-temperature cuprate superconductors have often been understood within the standard BCS framework of superconductivity. However, measurements in a variety of overdoped cuprates indicate that the superfluid density is much smaller than expected from BCS theory and decreases smoothly to zero as the doping is increased. Here, we combine time-domain THz spectroscopy with kHz range mutual inductance measurements on the same overdoped La2–xSrxCuO4 films to determine the total, superfluid, and uncondensed spectral weight as a function of doping. A significant fraction of the carriers remains uncondensed in a wide Drude-like peak as T → 0, while the superfluid density remains linear in temperature. These observations are seemingly inconsistent with existing, realistic theories of impurity scattering suppressing the superfluid density in a BCS-like d-wave superconductor. Furthermore, our large measurement frequency range gives us a unique look at the low frequency spectral weight distribution, which may suggest the presence of quantum phase fluctuations as the critical doping is approached.},
doi = {10.1103/PhysRevLett.122.027003},
journal = {Physical Review Letters},
number = 2,
volume = 122,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Jan 16 00:00:00 EST 2019},
month = {Wed Jan 16 00:00:00 EST 2019}
}

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Works referencing / citing this record:

The Quest for High(er) Tc in BaBiO3-Based Heterostructures
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Impact of electron-electron interactions on the superfluid density of dirty superconductors
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Diamagnetic Response of Potassium-Adsorbed Multilayer FeSe Film
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Scaling between Superfluid Density and Tc in Overdoped La2−xSrxCuO4 Films
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