| 1. |
- Braicovich, Lucio, et al.
(författare)
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Determining the electron-phonon coupling in superconducting cuprates by resonant inelastic x-ray scattering: Methods and results on Nd1+xBa2-xCu3O7-δ
- 2020
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Ingår i: Physical Review Research. - 2643-1564. ; 2:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The coupling between lattice vibration quanta and valence electrons can induce charge-density modulations and decisively influence the transport properties of materials, e.g., leading to conventional superconductivity. In high-critical-temperature superconductors, where electronic correlation is the main actor, the actual role of electron-phonon coupling (EPC) is being intensely debated theoretically and investigated experimentally. We present an in-depth study of how the EPC strength can be obtained directly from resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) data through the theoretical approach derived by Ament et al. [Europhys. Lett. 95, 27008 (2011)]. The role of the model parameters (e.g., phonon energy ω0, intermediate state lifetime 1/Γ, EPC matrix element M, and detuning energy Ω) is thoroughly analyzed, providing general relations among them that can be used to make quantitative estimates of the dimensionless EPC g=(M/ω0)2 without detailed microscopic modeling. We then apply these methods to very high-resolution Cu L3-edge RIXS spectra of three Nd1+xBa2−xCu3O7−δ films. For the insulating antiferromagnetic parent compound, the value of M as a function of the in-plane momentum transfer is obtained for Cu-O bond-stretching (breathing) and bond-bending (buckling) phonon branches. For the underdoped and the nearly optimally doped samples, the effects of Coulomb screening and of charge-density-wave correlations on M are assessed. In light of the anticipated further improvements of the RIXS experimental resolution, this work provides a solid framework for an exhaustive investigation of the EPC in cuprates and other quantum materials.
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| 2. |
- Krieger, G., et al.
(författare)
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Charge and Spin Order Dichotomy in NdNiO2 Driven by the Capping Layer
- 2022
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Ingår i: Physical Review Letters. - 1079-7114 .- 0031-9007. ; 129:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Superconductivity in infinite-layer nickelates holds exciting analogies with that of cuprates, with similar structures and 3d-electron count. Using resonant inelastic x-ray scattering, we studied electronic and magnetic excitations and charge density correlations in Nd1-xSrxNiO2 thin films with and without an SrTiO3 capping layer. We observe dispersing magnons only in the capped samples, progressively dampened at higher doping. We detect an elastic resonant scattering peak in the uncapped x=0 compound at wave vector (∼⅓,0), remindful of the charge order signal in hole doped cuprates. The peak weakens at x=0.05 and disappears in the superconducting x=0.20 film. The role of the capping on the electronic reconstruction far from the interface remains to be understood.
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| 3. |
- Peng, Y. Y., et al.
(författare)
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Doping dependence of the electron-phonon coupling in two families of bilayer superconducting cuprates
- 2022
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Ingår i: Physical Review B. - 2469-9969 .- 2469-9950. ; 105:11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- While electron-phonon coupling (EPC) is crucial for Cooper pairing in conventional superconductors, its role in high-Tc superconducting cuprates is debated. Using resonant inelastic x-ray scattering at the oxygen K edge, we study the EPC in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ (Bi2212) and Nd1+xBa2-xCu3O7-δ (NBCO) at different doping levels ranging from heavily underdoped (p=0.07) to overdoped (p=0.21). We analyze the data with a localized Lang-Firsov model that allows for the coherent excitations of two phonon modes. While electronic band dispersion effects are non-negligible, we are able to perform a study of the relative values of EPC matrix elements in these cuprate families. In the case of NBCO, the choice of the excitation energy allows us to disentangle modes related to the CuO chains and the CuO2 planes. Combining the results from the two families, we find the EPC strength decreases with doping at q∥=(-0.25,0) r.l.u., but has a nonmonotonic trend as a function of doping at smaller momenta. This behavior is attributed to the screening effect of charge carriers. We also find that the phonon intensity is enhanced in the vicinity of the charge-density-wave excitations while the extracted EPC strength appears to be less sensitive to their proximity. By performing a comparative study of two cuprate families, we are able to identify general trends in the EPC for the cuprates and provide experimental input to theories invoking a synergistic role for this interaction in d-wave pairing.
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| 4. |
- Rossi, Matteo, et al.
(författare)
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Experimental Determination of Momentum-Resolved Electron-Phonon Coupling
- 2019
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Ingår i: Physical Review Letters. - 1079-7114 .- 0031-9007. ; 123:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We provide a novel experimental method to quantitatively estimate the electron-phonon coupling and its momentum dependence from resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) spectra based on the detuning of the incident photon energy away from an absorption resonance. We apply it to the cuprate parent compound NdBa2Cu3O6 and find that the electronic coupling to the oxygen half-breathing phonon branch is strongest at the Brillouin zone boundary, where it amounts to ∼0.17 eV, in agreement with previous studies. In principle, this method is applicable to any absorption resonance suitable for RIXS measurements and will help to define the contribution of lattice vibrations to the peculiar properties of quantum materials.
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| 5. |
- Arpaia, Riccardo, 1985, et al.
(författare)
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Signature of quantum criticality in cuprates by charge density fluctuations
- 2023
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Ingår i: Nature Communications. - 2041-1723 .- 2041-1723. ; 14:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The universality of the strange metal phase in many quantum materials is often attributed to the presence of a quantum critical point (QCP), a zero-temperature phase transition ruled by quantum fluctuations. In cuprates, where superconductivity hinders direct QCP observation, indirect evidence comes from the identification of fluctuations compatible with the strange metal phase. Here we show that the recently discovered charge density fluctuations (CDF) possess the right properties to be associated to a quantum phase transition. Using resonant x-ray scattering, we studied the CDF in two families of cuprate superconductors across a wide doping range (up to p = 0.22). At p* ≈ 0.19, the putative QCP, the CDF intensity peaks, and the characteristic energy Δ is minimum, marking a wedge-shaped region in the phase diagram indicative of a quantum critical behavior, albeit with anomalies. These findings strengthen the role of charge order in explaining strange metal phenomenology and provide insights into high-temperature superconductivity.
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| 6. |
- Martinelli, L., et al.
(författare)
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Collective Nature of Orbital Excitations in Layered Cuprates in the Absence of Apical Oxygens
- 2024
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Ingår i: Physical Review Letters. - 1079-7114 .- 0031-9007. ; 132:6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We have investigated the 3d orbital excitations in CaCuO2 (CCO), Nd2CuO4 (NCO), and La2CuO4 (LCO) using high-resolution resonant inelastic x-ray scattering. In LCO they behave as well-localized excitations, similarly to several other cuprates. On the contrary, in CCO and NCO the dxy orbital clearly disperses, pointing to a collective character of this excitation (orbiton) in compounds without apical oxygen. We ascribe the origin of the dispersion as stemming from a substantial next-nearest-neighbor (NNN) orbital superexchange. Such an exchange leads to the liberation of the orbiton from its coupling to magnons, which is associated with the orbiton hopping between nearest neighbor copper sites. Finally, we show that the exceptionally large NNN orbital superexchange can be traced back to the absence of apical oxygens suppressing the charge transfer energy.
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| 7. |
- Martinelli, Leonardo, et al.
(författare)
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Fractional Spin Excitations in the Infinite-Layer Cuprate CaCuO2
- 2022
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Ingår i: Physical Review X. - 2160-3308. ; 12:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We use resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) to investigate the magnetic dynamics of the infinite-layer cuprate CaCuO2. We find that close to the (1/2,0) point, the single magnon decays into a broad continuum of excitations accounting for about 80% of the total magnetic spectral weight. Polarization-resolved RIXS spectra reveal the overwhelming dominance of the spin-flip (Delta S = 1) character of this continuum with respect to the Delta S = 0 multimagnon contributions. Moreover, its incident-energy dependence is identical to that of the magnon, supporting a common physical origin. We propose that the continuum originates from the decay of the magnon into spinon pairs, and we relate it to the exceptionally high ring exchange J(c) similar to J(1) of CaCuO2. In the infinite-layer cuprates, long-range and multisite hopping integrals are very important, and they amplify the 2D quantum magnetism effects in spite of the 3D antiferromagnetic Neel order.
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| 8. |
- Merzoni, Giacomo, et al.
(författare)
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Charge response function probed by resonant inelastic x-ray scattering: Signature of electronic gaps of YBa2Cu3O7-δ
- 2024
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Ingår i: Physical Review B. - 2469-9969 .- 2469-9950. ; 109:18
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In strongly correlated systems, the complete determination of the dynamical susceptibility χ(q,ω) is of special relevance because of the entwinement of the spin and charge components. Although resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) spectra are directly related to both the charge [χc′′(q,ω)] and the spin [χs′′(q,ω)] contributions, only the latter has been extensively studied with RIXS so far. Here we show how to extract from RIXS spectra of high-Tc superconducting cuprates relevant properties of χc′′, such as the presence of the superconducting gap and of the pseudogap. In particular, we exploit the temperature dependence of the Cu L3 edge RIXS spectra of underdoped YBa2Cu3O7-δ at specific wave vectors q. The signature of the two gaps is given by the departure of the low-energy excitation continuum from the Bosonic thermal evolution. This approach can be immediately used to investigate systematically the nature of the pseudogap in cuprates, thereby taking advantage of the RIXS technique that does not suffer the limitations of surface-sensitive electron spectroscopies. Its extension to other interesting materials is foreseen.
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| 9. |
- Rossi, Matteo, et al.
(författare)
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Resonant inelastic X-ray scattering of magnetic excitations under pressure
- 2019
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Ingår i: Journal of Synchrotron Radiation. - 0909-0495. ; 26, s. 1725-1732
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) is an extremely valuable tool for the study of elementary, including magnetic, excitations in matter. The latest developments of this technique have mostly been aimed at improving the energy resolution and performing polarization analysis of the scattered radiation, with a great impact on the interpretation and applicability of RIXS. Instead, this article focuses on the sample environment and presents a setup for high-pressure low-temperature RIXS measurements of low-energy excitations. The feasibility of these experiments is proved by probing the magnetic excitations of the bilayer iridate Sr 3 Ir 2 O 7 at pressures up to 12 GPa.
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