Identification of a nematic pair density wave state in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x

Electron-pair density wave (PDW) states are now an intense focus of research in the field of cuprate correlated superconductivity. PDWs exhibit periodically modulating superconductive electron pairing that can be visualized directly using scanned Josephson tunneling microscopy (SJTM). Although from...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 2022-08, Vol.119 (31), p.1
Main Authors: Chen, Weijiong, Ren, Wangping, Kennedy, Niall, Hamidian, M H, Uchida, S, Eisaki, H, Johnson, Peter D, O'Mahony, Shane M, Davis, J C Séamus
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bismuth strontium calcium copper oxide
Carrier density
Charge density waves
CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
cuprate
Cuprates
Domains
Ising model
nematic
Order parameters
pair density wave
Physical Sciences
Resonance scattering
Superconductivity
Superconductors
vestigial
Zinc
zinc impurity atom
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Summary:Electron-pair density wave (PDW) states are now an intense focus of research in the field of cuprate correlated superconductivity. PDWs exhibit periodically modulating superconductive electron pairing that can be visualized directly using scanned Josephson tunneling microscopy (SJTM). Although from theory, intertwining the d-wave superconducting (DSC) and PDW order parameters allows a plethora of global electron-pair orders to appear, which one actually occurs in the various cuprates is unknown. Here, we use SJTM to visualize the interplay of PDW and DSC states in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x at a carrier density where the charge density wave modulations are virtually nonexistent. Simultaneous visualization of their amplitudes reveals that the intertwined PDW and DSC are mutually attractive states. Then, by separately imaging the electron-pair density modulations of the two orthogonal PDWs, we discover a robust nematic PDW state. Its spatial arrangement entails Ising domains of opposite nematicity, each consisting primarily of unidirectional and lattice commensurate electron-pair density modulations. Further, we demonstrate by direct imaging that the scattering resonances identifying Zn impurity atom sites occur predominantly within boundaries between these domains. This implies that the nematic PDW state is pinned by Zn atoms, as was recently proposed [Lozano et al., Phys. Rev. B 103, L020502 (2021)]. Taken in combination, these data indicate that the PDW in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x is a vestigial nematic pair density wave state [Agterberg et al. Phys. Rev. B 91, 054502 (2015); Wardh and Granath arXiv:2203.08250].
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.2206481119