Collapse of superconductivity in cuprates via ultrafast quenching of phase coherence

The possibility of driving phase transitions in low-density condensates through the loss of phase coherence alone has far-reaching implications for the study of quantum phases of matter. This has inspired the development of tools to control and explore the collective properties of condensate phases...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature materials 2018-05, Vol.17 (5), p.416-420
Main Authors: Boschini, F., da Silva Neto, E. H., Razzoli, E., Zonno, M., Peli, S., Day, R. P., Michiardi, M., Schneider, M., Zwartsenberg, B., Nigge, P., Zhong, R. D., Schneeloch, J., Gu, G. D., Zhdanovich, S., Mills, A. K., Levy, G., Jones, D. J., Giannetti, C., Damascelli, A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
140/125
639/766/119
639/766/119/1003
639/766/119/2795
Biomaterials
Chemistry and Materials Science
Condensates
Condensed Matter Physics
CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
Cuprates
Fluctuations
Fragility
Letter
Materials Science
Nanotechnology
Optical and Electronic Materials
Phase coherence
Phase transitions
Photoelectric emission
Stiffness
Superconductivity
Thermalization (energy absorption)
Variation
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Summary:The possibility of driving phase transitions in low-density condensates through the loss of phase coherence alone has far-reaching implications for the study of quantum phases of matter. This has inspired the development of tools to control and explore the collective properties of condensate phases via phase fluctuations. Electrically gated oxide interfaces 1 , 2 , ultracold Fermi atoms 3 , 4 and cuprate superconductors 5 , 6 , which are characterized by an intrinsically small phase stiffness, are paradigmatic examples where these tools are having a dramatic impact. Here we use light pulses shorter than the internal thermalization time to drive and probe the phase fragility of the Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8+ δ cuprate superconductor, completely melting the superconducting condensate without affecting the pairing strength. The resulting ultrafast dynamics of phase fluctuations and charge excitations are captured and disentangled by time-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. This work demonstrates the dominant role of phase coherence in the superconductor-to-normal state phase transition and offers a benchmark for non-equilibrium spectroscopic investigations of the cuprate phase diagram. Pump–probe, time-resolved ARPES experiments with underdoped cuprates reveal the transient enhancement of the density of phase fluctuations, eventually leading to the collapse of superconductivity.
ISSN:1476-1122
1476-4660
DOI:10.1038/s41563-018-0045-1