Title: Tracking the nematicity in cuprate superconductors: a resistivity study under uniaxial pressure

Abstract

Overshadowing the superconducting dome in hole-doped cuprates, the pseudogap state is still one of the mysteries that no consensus can be achieved. It has been suggested that the rotational symmetry is broken in this state and may result in a nematic phase transition, whose temperature seems to coincide with the onset temperature of the pseudogap state $$T^{\,*}$$ around optimal doping level, raising the question whether the pseudogap results from the establishment of the nematic order. Here we report results of resistivity measurements under uniaxial pressure on several hole-doped cuprates, where the normalized slope of the elastoresistivity ζ can be obtained as illustrated in iron-based superconductors. The temperature dependence of ζ along particular lattice axis exhibits kink feature at Tk and shows Curie–Weiss-like behavior above it, which may suggest a spontaneous nematic transition. While Tk seems to be the same as $$T^{\,*}$$ around the optimal doping and in the overdoped region, they become very different in underdoped La$$_{2-x}$$SrxCuO₄. Our results suggest that the nematic order, if indeed existing, is an electronic phase within the pseudogap state.

Authors:

Xie, Tao  ^[1];

• Search DOE PAGES for author "Xie, Tao"
• Search DOE PAGES for ORCID "0000-0002-1506-802X"

Liu, Zhaoyu ^[2]; Gu, Yanhong ^[2]; Gong, Dongliang ^[2]; Mao, Huican ^[2]; Liu, Jing ^[2]; Hu, Cheng ^[2]; Ma, Xiaoyan ^[2]; Yao, Yuan ^[2]; Zhao, Lin ^[2]; Zhou, Xingjiang  ^[3];

• Search DOE PAGES for author "Zhou, Xingjiang"
• Search DOE PAGES for ORCID "0000-0002-5261-1386"

Schneeloch, John ^[4]; Gu, Genda ^[4]; Danilkin, Sergey ^[5]; Yang, Yi-feng ^[3]; Luo, Huiqian  ^[6];

• Search DOE PAGES for author "Luo, Huiqian"
• Search DOE PAGES for ORCID "0000-0003-1514-0041"

Li, Shiliang  ^[3]

• Search DOE PAGES for author "Li, Shiliang"
• Search DOE PAGES for ORCID "0000-0001-7922-3730"

---

+ Show Author Affiliations

1. Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing (China); Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
2. Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing (China)
3. Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing (China); Collaborative Innovation Center of Quantum Matter, Beijing (China); Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory, Guangdong (China)
4. Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
5. Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), Lucas Heights, NSW (Australia)
6. Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing (China); Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory, Guangdong (China)

Publication Date:

Mon Jun 20 00:00:00 EDT 2022

Research Org.:

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:

USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES); Ministry of Science and Technology of China; National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC); Chinese Academy of Sciences

OSTI Identifier:

1873808

Grant/Contract Number:  

AC05-00OR22725; SC0012704

Resource Type:

Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:

Journal of Physics. Condensed Matter

Additional Journal Information:

Journal Volume: 34; Journal Issue: 33; Journal ID: ISSN 0953-8984

Publisher:

IOP Publishing

Country of Publication:

United States

Language:

English

Subject:

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY; high-Tc superconductors; uniaxial pressure; nematicity; pseudogap