Scanning Tunnelling Microscopy Imaging of Symmetry-breaking Structural Distortion in the Bismuth-based Cuprate Superconductors

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Author
Main, Elizabeth J.
Boyer, M. C.
Chatterjee, Kamalesh
Wise, W. D.
Yin, Yi
Zech, Martin
Kondo, Takeshi
Takeuchi, T.
Ikuta, Hiroshi
Wen, Jinsheng
Xu, Zhijun
Gu, G. D.
Note: Order does not necessarily reflect citation order of authors.
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https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat3315Metadata
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Zeljkovic, Illija, Elizabeth J. Main, Tess L. Williams, M. C. Boyer, Kamalesh Chatterjee, W. D. Wise, Yi Yin, et al. Forthcoming. Scanning tunnelling microscopy imaging of symmetry-breaking structural distortion in the bismuth-based cuprate superconductors. Nature Materials.Abstract
A complicating factor in unravelling the theory of high-temperature (high-\(T_c\)) superconductivity is the presence of a ‘pseudogap’ in the density of states, the origin of which has been debated since its discovery. Some believe the pseudogap is a broken symmetry state distinct from superconductivity whereas others believe it arises from short-range correlations without symmetry breaking. A number of broken symmetries have been imaged and identified with the pseudogap state, but it remains crucial to disentangle any electronic symmetry breaking from the pre-existing structural symmetry of the crystal. We use scanning tunnelling microscopy to observe an orthorhombic structural distortion across the cuprate superconducting \(Bi_{2}Sr_{2}Ca_{n−1}Cu_{n}O_{2n+4+x}\) (BSCCO) family tree, which breaks two-dimensional inversion symmetry in the surface BiO layer. Although this inversion-symmetry-breaking structure can impact electronic measurements, we show from its insensitivity to temperature, magnetic field and doping, that it cannot be the long-sought pseudogap state. To detect this picometre-scale variation in lattice structure, we have implemented a new algorithm that will serve as a powerful tool in the search for broken symmetry electronic states in cuprates, as well as in other materials.Other Sources
http://arxiv.org/abs/1104.4342Terms of Use
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