Superconductivity In Cuprate Superconductors Research Articles

On the criteria for superconducting superlattices using CaCuO2 *

The manifestation of superconductivity in cuprate superconductors is concerted to copper-oxygen planes. To maintain charge neutrality, the copper-oxygen planes are embedded between materials, that are electronically insulating. Here, we introduce BaBiO3, LaCrO3, EuFeO3, and Ca2Fe2O5 as candidate materials. We use molecular beam epitaxy as a synthesis tool for the development of artificial superconducting superlattices in combination with infinte-layer CaCuO2. We find that (1) layer lattice matching, (2) thermodynamic compatibility and (3) absence of diffusion of any element other than Cu into CuO2 planes are key criteria to realize superconductivity. For brown-millerite Ca2Fe2O5/CaCuO2 superlattices, criteria 1–3 are met and superconductivity emerges.

Doping dependence of superconductivity on a honeycomb lattice within the framework of kinetic-energy-driven superconductivity

Unconventional superconductivity on a honeycomb lattice has received increasing interest since the discovery of graphene primarily due to the similarities between materials with a honeycomb lattice and cuprate superconductors. Many theoretical studies have been conducted on superconductivity on a honeycomb lattice, however, a consistent picture is still lacking. In this paper, we have extended the theory of kinetic-energy-driven superconductivity, which has been developed to investigate unconventional superconductivity in cuprate superconductors, to explore superconductivity on a honeycomb lattice within the t-J model. Our results demonstrate that the charge-carrier pair gap parameter with [Formula: see text]-wave symmetry exhibits a dome-like shape as a function of doping, with superconductivity emerging at a certain doping concentration and disappearing at high doping levels, similar to what has been observed in cuprate and cobaltate superconductors. Furthermore, the charge-carrier pair gap parameter decreases with increasing the value of [Formula: see text] (the ratio between the antiferromagnetic exchange coupling constant and the nearest-neighbor hopping integral), and approaches zero when [Formula: see text] reaches a sufficiently large value. This indicates that the antiferromagnetic order will suppress the superconducting state and a sufficiently strong exchange coupling will completely destroy the superconductivity. Taking into account our present results together with the corresponding results of cuprate and cobaltate superconductors, it appears that the dome-like shape of the doping dependence of the charge-carrier pair gap parameter may be a common feature in doped Mott insulators.

Enhancement of superconductivity by electronic nematicity in cuprate superconductors

ABSTRACT The cuprate superconductors are characterised by numerous ordering tendencies, with the electronically nematic order being the most distinct form of order. Here the intertwinement of the electronic nematicity with superconductivity in cuprate superconductors is studied based on the kinetic-energy-driven superconductivity. It is shown that the optimised takes a dome-like shape with the weak and strong strength regions on each side of the optimal strength of the electronic nematicity, where the optimised reaches its maximum. This dome-like shape nematic-order strength dependence of thus indicates that the electronic nematicity enhances superconductivity. Moreover, this nematic order induces the anisotropy of the electron Fermi surface, where although the original electron Fermi surface contour with the four-fold rotation symmetry is broken up into that with a residual twofold rotation symmetry, this electron Fermi surface contour with the twofold rotation symmetry still is truncated to form the disconnected Fermi arcs with the most spectral weight that locates at around the tips of the Fermi arcs. Concomitantly, these tips of the Fermi arcs connected by the scattering wave vectors construct an octet scattering model, however, the partial scattering wave vectors and their respective symmetry-corresponding partners occur with unequal amplitudes, leading to these electronically ordered states being broken both rotation and translation symmetries. As a natural consequence, the electronic structure is inequivalent between the and directions in momentum space. These anisotropic features of the electronic structure are also confirmed via the result of the autocorrelation of the single-particle excitation spectra, where the breaking of the rotation symmetry is verified by the inequivalence on the average of the electronic structure at the two Bragg scattering sites. The theory also indicates that the order parameter of the electronic nematicity achieves its maximum in the characteristic energy and then decreases rapidly as the energy moves away from the characteristic energy.

Characteristic energy of the nematic-order state and its connection to enhancement of superconductivity in cuprate superconductors

The new development in sublattice-phase-resolved imaging of an electronic structure now allows for the visualization of the nematic-order state characteristic energy of cuprate superconductors in a wide doping regime. However, it is still unclear how this characteristic energy of the nematic-order state is correlated with the enhancement of superconductivity. Here the doping dependence of the nematic-order state characteristic energy in cuprate superconductors and of its possible connection to the enhancement of superconductivity is investigated within the framework of the kinetic-energy-driven superconductivity. It is shown that the characteristic energy of the nematic-order state is found to be particularly large in the underdoped regime, then it smoothly decreases upon the increase of doping, in full agreement with the corresponding experimental observations. Moreover, the characteristic energy of the nematic-order state as a function of the nematic-order state strength in the underdoped regime presents a similar behavior of the superconducting transition temperature. This suggests a possible connection between the nematic-order state characteristic energy and the enhancement of the superconductivity.

Electronic structures of quasi-one-dimensional cuprate superconductors Ba2CuO3+δ

An intact CuO$_2$ plane is widely believed to be a prerequisite for the high-$T_c$ superconductivity in cuprate superconductors. However, an exception may exist in the superconducting Ba$_2$CuO$_{3+\delta}$ materials where CuO chains play a more important role. From first-principles density functional theory calculations, we have studied the electronic and magnetic structures of Ba$_2$CuO$_{3+\delta}$. The stoichiometric Ba$_2$CuO$_3$ and Ba$_2$CuO$_4$ contain quasi-one-dimensional CuO chains and intact two-dimensional CuO$_2$ planes, respectively. In comparison with the nonmagnetic metal Ba$_2$CuO$_4$, Ba$_2$CuO$_3$ is found to be an antiferromagnetic (AFM) Mott insulator. It possesses a nearest-neighbor intra-chain antiferromagnetic (AFM) coupling and a weak inter-chain interaction, and its lowest unoccupied band and highest occupied band are contributed by Cu 3$d_{b^2-c^2}$-orbital (or $d_{x^2-y^2}$-orbital if we denote the $bc$-plane as the $xy$-plane) and O 2$p$-orbitals, respectively. Total energy calculations indicate that the oxygen vacancies in Ba$_2$CuO$_{3+\delta}$ prefer to reside in the planar sites rather than the apical oxygens in the CuO chains, in agreement with the experimental observation. Furthermore, we find that the magnetic frustrations or spin fluctuations can be effectively induced by moderate charge doping. This suggests that the superconducting pairing in oxygen-enriched Ba$_2$CuO$_{3+\delta}$ or oxygen-deficient Ba$_2$CuO$_{4-\delta}$ is likely to be mainly driven by the AFM fluctuations within CuO chains.

Excitons and Dark Fermions as Origins of Mott Gap, Pseudogap and Superconductivity in Cuprate Superconductors — General Concept and Basic Formalism Based on Gap Physics

Theory of doped Mott insulators is revisited in the light of recent understanding on the singular self-energy structure of the single-particle Green's function. The unique pole structure in the self-energy induces the high-temperature superconductivity in the anomalous part, while it generates Mott gap and pseudogap in the normal part. Here, we elucidate that fractionalization of electrons, which is exactly hold in the Mott insulator in the atomic limit, more generally produces the emergent Mott-gap fermion and dark (hidden) fermions. It does not require any spontaneous symmetry breaking. The two gaps are the consequences of the hybridization of these two fermions with quasiparticles. We further propose that the Mott-gap fermion and dark fermions are the fermionic component of Frenkel- and Wannier-type excitons, respectively, which coexist in the doped Mott insulator. The Bose-Einstein condensation of the Frenkel-type excitons allowed without spontaneous symmetry breaking holds a key for understanding the unique pole structure and the pseudogap through the instantaneous hybridization between the fractionalized quasiparticle and the dark fermion in analogy with the Mott gap. We argue that the high-$T_{\rm c}$ superconductivity is ascribed to the dipole attraction of the Wannier-type excitons. The gap formation mechanism is compared with that caused by conventional spontaneous symmetry breaking known over condensed matter and elementary particle physics including quantum chromodynamics. We propose a theoretical framework and discuss experimental tests to analyze this idea and concept.

Interplay between charge order and superconductivity in cuprate superconductors

One of the central issues in the recent study of cuprate superconductors is the interplay of charge order with superconductivity. Here the interplay of charge order with superconductivity in cuprate superconductors is studied based on the kinetic-energy-driven superconducting (SC) mechanism by taking into account the intertwining between the pseudogap and SC gap. It is shown that the appearance of the Fermi pockets is closely associated with the emergence of the pseudogap. However, the distribution of the spectral weight of the SC-state quasiparticle spectrum on the Fermi arc, or equivalently the front side of the Fermi pocket, and back side of Fermi pocket is extremely anisotropic, where the most part of the spectral weight is located around the tips of the Fermi arcs, which in this case coincide with the hot spots on the electron Fermi surface (EFS). In particular, as charge order in the normal-state, this EFS instability drives charge order in the SC-state, with the charge-order wave vector that is well consistent with the wave vector connecting the hot spots on the straight Fermi arcs. Furthermore, this charge-order state is doping dependent, with the charge-order wave vector that decreases in magnitude with the increase of doping. Although there is a coexistence of charge order and superconductivity, this charge order antagonizes superconductivity. The results from the SC-state dynamical charge structure factor indicate the existence of a quantitative connection between the low-energy electronic structure and collective response of the electron density. The theory also shows that the pseudogap and charge order have a root in common, they and superconductivity are a natural consequence of the strong electron correlation.

Two‐particle self‐consistent analysis for the electron‐hole asymmetry of superconductivity in cuprate superconductors

In the hole‐doped type cuprate superconductors, it is well‐known that the superconducting transition temperature Tc exhibits a dome‐like structure against doping. On the other hand, recent experiments unveil that Tc in the electron‐doped compounds shows a monotonic increase with decreasing the doping, at least down to a very small doping rate. Our recent study for the three‐band d–p model has unveiled that this asymmetric behavior can be explained as a combined effect of the intrinsic electron‐hole asymmetry in systems comprising Cu3 d and O2 p orbitals and the band‐filling‐dependent vertex correction . In the present study, we study another compound Tl2 Ba2 CuO6 to show that this explanation can be applied to other cuprate superconductors with the small orbital mixture. By varying the d–p offset, we also study how the strength of the d–p hybridization controls the spin fluctuation and hence the pairing interaction.

Influence of Be substitution on the superconducting properties of (Cu0.5Tl0.5)Ba2(Ca2−yBey)(Cu2.5Cd0.5)O10−δ (y = 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.35, 0.5) samples

Be doped (Cu0.5Tl0.5)Ba2(Ca2−yBey)(Cu2.5Cd0.5)O10−δ (y = 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.35, 0.5) superconductive samples are synthesized by solid state reaction method at normal pressure. The X-ray diffraction of these samples reveals a suppression in the c-axis length with the enhanced Be contents, reflecting the incorporation of Be at the inter plane Ca sites. The critical temperature Tc (R = 0) and onset temperature of diamagnetism Tc (onset) are found to increase with the increasing Be-contents up to y = 0.2 and decrease beyond this doping level. The room temperature resistivity, ρ(290K), is decreased in y = 0.1 and 0.2 samples, and raised to higher values beyond y = 0.2 in comparison to y = 0 samples. This improvement most likely arises due to the better interplane coupling caused by incorporation of Be at the Ca sites in the unit cell. The magnitude of diamagnetism is suppressed in all the Be-doped samples in comparison to un-doped sample. The FTIR absorption spectra show systematic hardening of the vibrational modes of apical oxygen with the increasing Be concentration. It confirms the incorporation of Be at the interplane Ca sites which results in the enhanced interplane coupling and hence the better superconducting properties in y = 0.1 and 0.2 samples. This hardening of the apical oxygen modes also complements our XRD results. The suppression of superconductivity parameters in samples with higher Be contents, namely y = 0.35 and 0.5, is attributed to the presence of heavier Cd at the Cu planar sites in CuO2/CdO2 planes. Cd atoms suppress the phonon’s population due to anharmonic oscillations it produces. Such anharmonicity is further promoted due to the enhanced interplane coupling caused by Be doping which further suppresses the phonon’s density and hence the superconductivity in the samples with higher Be-contents i.e. y = 0.35 and 0.5. These results stress on the vital role the electron–phonon interactions in the mechanism of superconductivity in cuprate superconductors.

TopologicalD+p-wave superconductivity in Rashba systems

We show two-dimensional "strong" topological superconductivity in d-wave superconductors (SCs). Although the topological invariant of the bulk wave function cannot be defined in d_{x^2-y^2}-wave and d_{xy}-wave SCs because of nodal excitations, the bulk energy spectrum of d-wave SCs on a substrate is fully gapped in a magnetic field. Then the superconducting state is specified by a nontrivial Chern number, and hence topologically nontrivial properties are robust against disorders and interactions. We discuss high-temperature topological superconductivity in cuprate SCs recently fabricated on a substrate. Furthermore, we show that the three-dimensional noncentrosymmetric d-wave SC is a Weyl SC hosting topologically protected Weyl nodes. Noncentrosymmetric heavy-fermion SCs, such as CeRhSi_3 and CeIrSi_3, are candidates for Weyl SCs.

Electron-momentum distribution of cuprate superconductors in a full charge-spin recombination scheme

A long-standing unsolved problem is how a microscopic theory of superconductivity in cuprate superconductors based on the charge-spin separation can produce a large electron Fermi surface (EFS). Within the framework of the kinetic-energy driven superconducting mechanism, a full charge-spin recombination scheme is developed to fully recombine a charge carrier and a localized spin into an electron, and then is employed to study the electron-momentum distribution in cuprate superconductors. In particular, the theory shows that the underlying EFS fulfills Luttinger’s theorem, and the sum rule for the constrained electron is obeyed.

Electronic structure of cuprate superconductors in a full charge-spin recombination scheme

A long-standing unsolved problem is how a microscopic theory of superconductivity in cuprate superconductors based on the charge-spin separation can produce a large electron Fermi surface. Within the framework of the kinetic-energy driven superconducting mechanism, a full charge-spin recombination scheme is developed to fully recombine a charge carrier and a localized spin into a electron, and then is employed to study the electronic structure of cuprate superconductors in the superconducting-state. In particular, it is shown that the underlying electron Fermi surface fulfills Luttinger’s theorem, while the superconducting coherence of the low-energy quasiparticle excitations is qualitatively described by the standard d-wave Bardeen–Cooper–Schrieffer formalism. The theory also shows that the observed peak-dip-hump structure in the electron spectrum and Fermi arc behavior in the underdoped regime are mainly caused by the strong energy and momentum dependence of the electron self-energy.

Kinetic-energy-driven superconductivity in cuprate superconductors

Superconductivity in cuprate superconductors occurs upon charge-carrier doping Mott insulators, where a central question is what mechanism causes the loss of electrical resistance below the superconducting (SC) transition temperature? In this paper, we attempt to summarize the basic idea of the kinetic-energy-driven SC mechanism in the description of superconductivity in cuprate superconductors. The mechanism of the kinetic-energy-driven superconductivity is purely electronic without phonons, where the charge-carrier pairing interaction in the particle–particle channel arises directly from the kinetic energy by the exchange of spin excitations in the higher powers of the doping concentration. This kinetic-energy-driven d-wave SC-state is controlled by both the SC gap and quasiparticle coherence, which leads to that the maximal SC transition temperature occurs around the optimal doping, and then decreases in both the underdoped and overdoped regimes. In particular, the same charge-carrier interaction mediated by spin excitations that induces the SC-state in the particle–particle channel also generates the normal-state pseudogap state in the particle–hole channel. The normal-state pseudogap crossover temperature is much larger than the SC transition temperature in the underdoped and optimally doped regimes, and then monotonically decreases upon the increase of doping, eventually disappearing together with superconductivity at the end of the SC dome. This kinetic-energy-driven SC mechanism also indicates that the strong electron correlation favors superconductivity, since the main ingredient is identified into a charge-carrier pairing mechanism not from the external degree of freedom such as the phonon but rather solely from the internal spin degree of freedom of the electron. The typical properties of cuprate superconductors discussed within the framework of the kinetic-energy-driven SC mechanism are also reviewed.

Hour-glass magnetic excitations induced by nanoscopic phase separation in cobalt oxides.

The magnetic excitations in the cuprate superconductors might be essential for an understanding of high-temperature superconductivity. In these cuprate superconductors the magnetic excitation spectrum resembles an hour-glass and certain resonant magnetic excitations within are believed to be connected to the pairing mechanism, which is corroborated by the observation of a universal linear scaling of superconducting gap and magnetic resonance energy. So far, charge stripes are widely believed to be involved in the physics of hour-glass spectra. Here we study an isostructural cobaltate that also exhibits an hour-glass magnetic spectrum. Instead of the expected charge stripe order we observe nano phase separation and unravel a microscopically split origin of hour-glass spectra on the nano scale pointing to a connection between the magnetic resonance peak and the spin gap originating in islands of the antiferromagnetic parent insulator. Our findings open new ways to theories of magnetic excitations and superconductivity in cuprate superconductors.

Coexistence of two sharp-mode couplings and their unusual momentum dependence in the superconducting state of Bi2Sr2CaCu2O(8+δ) revealed by laser-based angle-resolved photoemission.

High-resolution laser-based angle-resolved photoemission measurements have been carried out on Bi2Sr2CaCu2O(8+δ) (Bi2212) superconductors to investigate momentum dependence of electron coupling with collective excitations (modes). Two coexisting energy scales are clearly revealed over a large momentum space for the first time in the superconducting state of the overdoped Bi2212 superconductor. These two energy scales exhibit distinct momentum dependence: one keeps its energy near 78 meV over a large momentum space while the other changes its energy from ∼40  meV near the antinodal region to ∼70  meV near the nodal region. These observations provide a new picture on momentum evolution of electron-boson coupling in Bi2212 that electrons are coupled with two sharp modes simultaneously over a large momentum space in the superconducting states. Their unusual momentum dependence poses a challenge to our current understanding of electron-mode-coupling and its role for high-temperature superconductivity in cuprate superconductors.

Disorder Effects on Competition between Antiferromagnetism and Superconductivity in Cuprate Superconductors through the Enhancement in Charge Susceptibility

The coexistence state of antiferromagnetism (AF) and superconductivity (SC) has been observed in five-layered cuprates. However, this coexistence state disappears, and the AF phase and SC phase lose contact in the doping phase diagram toward double- and single-layered cuprates. We investigate the mechanism of the disappearance of the coexistence of AF and SC in disordered cuprate superconductors in order to understand these doping phase diagrams. In single- and double-layered cuprates, electrons on the CuO$_2$ plane experience the disorder effect through inhomogeneity in the charge reservoir layer. These impurity potentials can be effectively enhanced toward the underdoped region by the effect of many-body corrections that involve an increase in charge susceptibility. As a result, strong disorder effects are expected particularly in the competing regions of AF and SC, where the coexistence phase of AF and SC is extremely suppressed. We show the validity of this suppression mechanism by considering the Aslamazov-Larkin-type vertex correction to the effective impurity potential in the effective mean-field phase diagram.

Theoretical investigation of the magnetic exchange interactions in copper(II) oxides under chemical and physical pressures.

It remains a challenge to understand the unconventional mechanisms that cause high-TC superconductivity in cuprate superconductors, high-TC multiferroicity in CuO, or low-dimensional magnetism in the spin-Peierls transition compounds such as CuGeO3. A common feature of all these copper oxide compounds (containing Cu2+ ions) is the presence of large magnetic superexchange interactions J. It is a general strategy to apply chemical and/or physical pressure in order to tune these exotic properties. Here we show theoretically, for the first time, the impact of physical pressure on J on CuO, for which we predict a strong enhancement of the low-dimensionality of the magnetic interactions and the spin-frustration at high-pressures. Such modifications are expected to strongly influence the multiferroic properties of CuO. We finally demonstrate that PBE0 hybrid DFT calculations provide reliable J values for a wide range of copper(II) oxides compounds, i.e. CuGeO3, BaCu2Si2O7, BaCu2Ge2O7, and La2CuO4.

Two gaps with one energy scale in cuprate superconductors

The interplay between the superconducting gap and normal-state pseudogap in cuprate superconductors is studied based on the kinetic energy driven superconducting mechanism. It is shown that the interaction between charge carriers and spins directly from the kinetic energy by exchanging spin excitations in the higher power of the doping concentration induces the normal-state pseudogap state in the particle-hole channel and superconducting state in the particle-particle channel, therefore there is a coexistence of the superconducting gap and normal-state pseudogap in the whole superconducting dome. This normal-state pseudogap is closely related to the quasiparticle coherent weight, and is a necessary ingredient for superconductivity in cuprate superconductors. In particular, both the normal-state pseudogap and superconducting gap are dominated by one energy scale, and they are the result of the strong electron correlation.

On the Role of Polarization of Oxygen Ions and Mechanism of Superconductivity in Cuprate Superconductors

A new approach to the valence electron state in cuprate superconductors leading to a new mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity is considered. The approach takes into account specific features of the outer electron shells of the compound-forming elements and polarization of anions by cations. The polarization of anions by copper cations results in sharing of a valence electron by every two neighboring ions, which gives rise to a highly correlated state of the valence electrons and formation of a localized spin-ordered electron lattice responsible for dielectric and magnetic properties of an undoped material. It is also shown that asymmetric polarization of an anion by cations with inert gas shells transforms an unshared anion electron pair into a superconducting one by exciting it into a hybrid state. The superconducting state of the material itself results from formation and delocalization of one-dimensional Wigner crystals of the excited pairs.

The fundamental role of superconducting quasiparticle coherence in cuprate superconductors

Within the kinetic energy driven superconducting mechanism, we study the interplay between superconductivity and the nodal and antinodal superconducting quasiparticle coherences in cuprate superconductors, and find the s-wave superconducting transition temperature is heavily suppressed by the antinodal superconducting quasiparticle coherence, while the d-wave superconducting transition temperature is enhanced, therefore the antinodal superconducting quasiparticle coherence plays a more crucial role in superconductivity of cuprate superconductors.