Space-time crystalline order of a high-critical-temperature superconductor with intrinsic Josephson junctions

Reinhold Kleiner,Eric Dorsch,Xufeng Zhang,Xianjing Zhou,Dafei Jin,Dieter Koelle

doi:10.1038/s41467-021-26132-y

Reinhold Kleiner, Eric Dorsch + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-26132-y

Copy DOI

Abstract

We theoretically demonstrate that the high-critical-temperature (high-Tc) superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x (BSCCO) is a natural candidate for the recently envisioned classical space-time crystal. BSCCO intrinsically forms a stack of Josephson junctions. Under a periodic parametric modulation of the Josephson critical current density, the Josephson currents develop coupled space-time crystalline order, breaking the continuous translational symmetry in both space and time. The modulation frequency and amplitude span a (nonequilibrium) phase diagram for a so-defined spatiotemporal order parameter, which displays rigid pattern formation within a particular region of the phase diagram. Based on our calculations using representative material properties, we propose a laser-modulation experiment to realize the predicted space-time crystalline behavior. Our findings bring new insight into the nature of space-time crystals and, more generally, into nonequilibrium driven condensed matter systems.

Highlights

We theoretically demonstrate that the high-critical-temperature superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x (BSCCO) is a natural candidate for the recently envisioned classical spacetime crystal
While there has been considerable discussion about what is truly outstanding in such a system, at present, it is mostly agreed that the space−time crystal (STC) refers to a nonequilibrium phase of matter displaying long-range order in both space and time[11]
We present theoretically that the high-criticaltemperature cuprate superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x (BSCCO) is a natural candidate of a classical discrete STC that was recently envisioned[22]

Summary

Introduction

We theoretically demonstrate that the high-critical-temperature (high-Tc) superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x (BSCCO) is a natural candidate for the recently envisioned classical spacetime crystal. We present theoretically that the high-criticaltemperature (high-Tc) cuprate superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x (BSCCO) is a natural candidate of a classical discrete STC that was recently envisioned[22]. This material, as illustrated, acts as a stack of intrinsic Josephson junctions (IJJs) along its crystallographic c axis with s = 1.5 nm layer period[23,24,25]. Within a specific region with clear boundaries in this phase diagram, a nonzero spatiotemporal order parameter emerges, indicating the necessary robustness in phase formation

Methods

Results

Conclusion