Ultrafast time-resolved x-ray scattering reveals diffusive charge order dynamics in La<sub>2-x</sub>Ba<sub>x</sub>CuO<sub>4</sub>

 · Invited

Abstract

Charge order (CO) is ubiquitous in the high-Tc cuprates but its relation to superconductivity is still unclear. While static charge order seems to anticorrelate with superconductivity, charge order fluctuations may favor or enhance Cooper pairing. Here, we investigate the collective CO dynamics in the prototypical cuprate La2-xBaxCuO4 with time-resolved resonant soft x-ray scattering. By suddenly quenching the CO diffraction peak with ultrafast optical pump pulses and probing its recovery in the time domain with resonant soft x-rays, we find that CO excitations in the energy range 0.4-2.0 meV are overdamped and diffusive. At energy scales lower than 0.4 meV, the CO phase exhibits dynamical critical scaling, a universal behavior associated with the propagation of topological defects. Our observations imply that charge order is dynamic and may play a role in establishing superconducting pairing.

*This study was supported by the DOE Office of Science under award no. DE-FG02-06ER46285. Use of the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences under Contract No. DE-AC02-76SF00515. P.A. acknowledges support from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation’s EPiQS initiative through grant GMBF-4542. M.M. acknowledges support from the Alexander von Humboldt foundation.

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Presenters

  • Matteo Mitrano

    • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    • Department of Physics and Seitz Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    • Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Authors

  • Matteo Mitrano

    • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    • Department of Physics and Seitz Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    • Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  • Sangjun Lee

    • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    • University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
    • University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

  • Ali Husain

    • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    • Department of Physics and Seitz Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    • Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  • Luca V Delacretaz

    • Physics, Stanford University

  • Minhui Zhu

    • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  • Gilberto De La Pena

    • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  • Xiaolan Sun

    • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  • Young Il Joe

    • National Institute of Standards and Technology

  • Alex Reid

    • SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
    • SLAC
    • SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA, United States

  • Scott Wandel

    • SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

  • Giacomo Coslovich

    • SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

  • William F Schlotter

    • SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
    • SLAC
    • SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA, United States

  • Tim B van Driel

    • SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

  • John A. Schneeloch

    • Brookhaven National Laboratory
    • Condensed Matter Physics & Materials Science, Brookhaven National Laboratory
    • Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory
    • University of Virginia

  • Genda Gu

    • Brookhaven National Laboratory
    • Brookhaven National Lab
    • Department of Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science, Brookhaven, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973-5000, USA.
    • Cond. Matt. Physics and Material Science, Brookhaven Natl Lab
    • Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory
    • Condensed Matter Physics & Materials Science Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory
    • Brookhaven National Labs, Long Island, NY, USA, 11973
    • Condensed Matter Physics & Materials Science, Brookhaven National Laboratory
    • Condensed Matter Physics, Brookhaven National Laboratory
    • Brookhaven National Laboratories
    • Chinese Academy of Sciences
    • Condensed Matter Physics & Materials Science, Brookhaven National Lab
    • Brookhaven Natl Lab

  • Sean Hartnoll

    • Physics, Stanford University
    • Department of Physics, Stanford University

  • Nigel Goldenfeld

    • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    • Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  • Peter Abbamonte

    • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    • University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
    • Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign