Disorder-robust phase crystal in high-temperature superconductors stabilized by strong correlations

Abstract The simultaneous interplay of strong electron–electron correlations, topological zero-energy states, and disorder is yet an unexplored territory but of immense interest due to their inevitable presence in many materials. Copper oxide high-temperature superconductors (cuprates) with pair bre...

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Main Authors: Debmalya Chakraborty, Tomas Löfwander, Mikael Fogelström, Annica M. Black-Schaffer
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2022-04-01
Series:npj Quantum Materials
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41535-022-00450-w
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author Debmalya Chakraborty
Tomas Löfwander
Mikael Fogelström
Annica M. Black-Schaffer
author_facet Debmalya Chakraborty
Tomas Löfwander
Mikael Fogelström
Annica M. Black-Schaffer
author_sort Debmalya Chakraborty
collection DOAJ
description Abstract The simultaneous interplay of strong electron–electron correlations, topological zero-energy states, and disorder is yet an unexplored territory but of immense interest due to their inevitable presence in many materials. Copper oxide high-temperature superconductors (cuprates) with pair breaking edges host a flat band of topological zero-energy states, making them an ideal playground where strong correlations, topology, and disorder are strongly intertwined. Here we show that this interplay in cuprates generates a fully gapped ‘phase crystal’ state that breaks both translational and time-reversal invariance, characterized by a modulation of the d-wave superconducting phase co-existing with a modulating extended s-wave superconducting order. In contrast to conventional wisdom, we find that this phase crystal state is remarkably robust to omnipresent disorder, but only in the presence of strong correlations, thus giving a clear route to its experimental realization.
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spelling doaj.art-ff7b16a80a2444608675dbff8db601cc2022-12-22T02:22:08ZengNature Portfolionpj Quantum Materials2397-46482022-04-017111010.1038/s41535-022-00450-wDisorder-robust phase crystal in high-temperature superconductors stabilized by strong correlationsDebmalya Chakraborty0Tomas Löfwander1Mikael Fogelström2Annica M. Black-Schaffer3Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala UniversityDepartment of Microtechnology and Nanoscience - MC2, Chalmers University of TechnologyDepartment of Microtechnology and Nanoscience - MC2, Chalmers University of TechnologyDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala UniversityAbstract The simultaneous interplay of strong electron–electron correlations, topological zero-energy states, and disorder is yet an unexplored territory but of immense interest due to their inevitable presence in many materials. Copper oxide high-temperature superconductors (cuprates) with pair breaking edges host a flat band of topological zero-energy states, making them an ideal playground where strong correlations, topology, and disorder are strongly intertwined. Here we show that this interplay in cuprates generates a fully gapped ‘phase crystal’ state that breaks both translational and time-reversal invariance, characterized by a modulation of the d-wave superconducting phase co-existing with a modulating extended s-wave superconducting order. In contrast to conventional wisdom, we find that this phase crystal state is remarkably robust to omnipresent disorder, but only in the presence of strong correlations, thus giving a clear route to its experimental realization.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41535-022-00450-w
spellingShingle Debmalya Chakraborty
Tomas Löfwander
Mikael Fogelström
Annica M. Black-Schaffer
Disorder-robust phase crystal in high-temperature superconductors stabilized by strong correlations
npj Quantum Materials
title Disorder-robust phase crystal in high-temperature superconductors stabilized by strong correlations
title_full Disorder-robust phase crystal in high-temperature superconductors stabilized by strong correlations
title_fullStr Disorder-robust phase crystal in high-temperature superconductors stabilized by strong correlations
title_full_unstemmed Disorder-robust phase crystal in high-temperature superconductors stabilized by strong correlations
title_short Disorder-robust phase crystal in high-temperature superconductors stabilized by strong correlations
title_sort disorder robust phase crystal in high temperature superconductors stabilized by strong correlations
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41535-022-00450-w
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AT tomaslofwander disorderrobustphasecrystalinhightemperaturesuperconductorsstabilizedbystrongcorrelations
AT mikaelfogelstrom disorderrobustphasecrystalinhightemperaturesuperconductorsstabilizedbystrongcorrelations
AT annicamblackschaffer disorderrobustphasecrystalinhightemperaturesuperconductorsstabilizedbystrongcorrelations