Ultrafast time-resolved x-ray scattering reveals diffusive charge order dynamics in La2-xBaxCuO4

Invited

Abstract

Charge order (CO) is ubiquitous in the high-Tc cuprates but its relation to superconductivity is still unclear. While static charge order seems to anticorrelate with superconductivity, charge order fluctuations may favor or enhance Cooper pairing. Here, we investigate the collective CO dynamics in the prototypical cuprate La2-xBaxCuO4 with time-resolved resonant soft x-ray scattering. By suddenly quenching the CO diffraction peak with ultrafast optical pump pulses and probing its recovery in the time domain with resonant soft x-rays, we find that CO excitations in the energy range 0.4-2.0 meV are overdamped and diffusive. At energy scales lower than 0.4 meV, the CO phase exhibits dynamical critical scaling, a universal behavior associated with the propagation of topological defects. Our observations imply that charge order is dynamic and may play a role in establishing superconducting pairing.

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Presenters

  • Matteo Mitrano

    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Department of Physics and Seitz Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Authors

  • Matteo Mitrano

    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Department of Physics and Seitz Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  • Sangjun Lee

    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

  • Ali Husain

    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Department of Physics and Seitz Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  • Luca V Delacretaz

    Physics, Stanford University

  • Minhui Zhu

    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  • Gilberto De La Pena

    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  • Xiaolan Sun

    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  • Young Il Joe

    National Institute of Standards and Technology

  • Alex Reid

    SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, SLAC, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA, United States

  • Scott Wandel

    SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

  • Giacomo Coslovich

    SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

  • William F Schlotter

    SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, SLAC, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA, United States

  • Tim B van Driel

    SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

  • John A. Schneeloch

    Brookhaven National Laboratory, Condensed Matter Physics & Materials Science, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, University of Virginia

  • Genda Gu

    Brookhaven National Laboratory, Brookhaven National Lab, Department of Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science, Brookhaven, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973-5000, USA., Cond. Matt. Physics and Material Science, Brookhaven Natl Lab, Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Condensed Matter Physics & Materials Science Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Brookhaven National Labs, Long Island, NY, USA, 11973, Condensed Matter Physics & Materials Science, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Condensed Matter Physics, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Condensed Matter Physics & Materials Science, Brookhaven National Lab, Brookhaven Natl Lab

  • Sean Hartnoll

    Physics, Stanford University, Department of Physics, Stanford University

  • Nigel Goldenfeld

    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  • Peter Abbamonte

    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign