Abstract
Cuprate materials hosting high-temperature superconductivity (HTS) also exhibit various forms of charge and spin ordering1,2,3,4,5,6 whose significance is not fully understood7. So far, static charge-density waves8 (CDWs) have been detected by diffraction probes only at particular doping levels9,10,11 or in an applied external field12 . However, dynamic CDWs may also be present more broadly and their detection, characterization and relationship with HTS remain open problems. Here we present a method based on ultrafast spectroscopy to detect the presence and measure the lifetimes of CDW fluctuations in cuprates. In an underdoped La1.9Sr0.1CuO4 film (Tc = 26 K), we observe collective excitations of CDW that persist up to 100 K. This dynamic CDW fluctuates with a characteristic lifetime of 2 ps at T = 5 K that decreases to 0.5 ps at T = 100 K. In contrast, in an optimally doped La1.84Sr0.16CuO4 film (Tc = 38.5 K), we detect no signatures of fluctuating CDWs at any temperature, favouring the competition scenario. This work forges a path for studying fluctuating order parameters in various superconductors and other materials.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank S. Todadri, P. Lee and S. Kivelson for useful discussions. D.H.T., F.M. and N.G. were supported by NSF Career Award DMR-0845296. I.B. and A.T.B. were supported by the US Department of Energy, Basic Energy Sciences, Materials Sciences and Engineering Division.
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Experiments were performed by D.H.T. and F.M. The films were synthesized and characterized by A.T.B. and I.B. D.H.T. and F.M. performed the data analysis and wrote the initial draft of the manuscript. All authors participated in the understanding of the data and contributed to the final version of the manuscript. N.G. conceived and supervised the project.
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Torchinsky, D., Mahmood, F., Bollinger, A. et al. Fluctuating charge-density waves in a cuprate superconductor. Nature Mater 12, 387–391 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat3571
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat3571
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