STM imaging of symmetry-breaking structural distortion in the Bi-based cuprate superconductors

Abstract

A complicating factor in unraveling the theory of high-temperature (high-Tc) superconductivity is the presence of a "pseudogap" in the density of states, whose origin has been debated since its discovery [1]. Some believe the pseudogap is a broken symmetry state distinct from superconductivity [2-4], while others believe it arises from short-range correlations without symmetry breaking [5,6]. A number of broken symmetries have been imaged and identified with the pseudogap state [7,8], but it remains crucial to disentangle any electronic symmetry breaking from pre-existing structural symmetry of the crystal. We use scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) to observe an orthorhombic structural distortion across the cuprate superconducting Bi2Sr2Can-1CunO2n+4+x (BSCCO) family tree, which breaks two-dimensional inversion symmetry in the surface BiO layer. Although this inversion symmetry breaking structure can impact electronic measurements, we show from its insensitivity to temperature, magnetic field, and doping, that it cannot be the long-sought pseudogap state. To detect this picometer-scale variation in lattice structure, we have implemented a new algorithm which will serve as a powerful tool in the search for broken symmetry electronic states in cuprates, as well as in other materials.

arXiv comment4 figures

References in corpus (23)

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• From a single-band metal to a high-temperature superconductor via two thermal phase transitions (Supporting Material)
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• Spectroscopic scanning tunneling microscopy insights into Fe-based superconductors
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• Heavy d-Electron Quasiparticle Interference and Real-space Electronic Structure of Sr3Ru2O7
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Cited by in corpus (23)

• Fermi Surface and Pseudogap Evolution in a Cuprate Superconductor
• Dirac mass generation from crystal symmetry breaking on the surfaces of topological crystalline insulators
• Revealing the Empty-State Electronic Structure of Single-Unit-Cell FeSe/SrTiO${}_3$
• Chiral charge order in the superconductor 2H-TaS2
• Detection of electronic nematicity using scanning tunneling microscopy
• Nanoscale interplay of strain and doping in a high-temperature superconductor
• Real-space post-processing correction of thermal drift and piezoelectric actuator nonlinearities in scanning tunneling microscope images
• Nanoscale Surface Element Identification and Dopant Homogeneity in the High-$T_c$ Superconductor Pr${}_x$Ca${}_{1-x}$Fe${}_2$As${}_2$
• Spatially correlated incommensurate lattice modulations in an atomically thin high-temperature Bi_{2.1}Sr_{1.9}CaCu_{2.0}O_{8+δ} superconductors
• Evolution of Charge and Pair Density Modulations in Overdoped Bi2Sr2CuO6+delta
• Ab initio description of the Bi${}_2$Sr${}_2$CaCu${}_2$O${}_{8+\delta }$ electronic structure
• Atomic Visualization of Copper Oxide Structure in Infinite-Layer Cuprate SrCuO2
• Real-space pairing through a confined local nematic state in cuprate superconductors
• Local noncentrosymmetric structure of Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+y by X-ray magnetic circular dichroism at Cu K-edge XANES
• The study of electronic nematicity in an overdoped (Bi, Pb)${}_2$Sr${}_2$CuO${}_{6+\delta }$ superconductor using scanning tunneling spectroscopy
• Pair-pair interactions as a mechanism for high-T${}_c$ superconductivity
• Quasiparticle interference and charge order in a heavily overdoped non-superconducting cuprate
• Spontaneous fourfold-symmetry breaking driven by electron-lattice coupling and strong correlations in high-$T_c$ cuprates
• Electronic structure of HgBa${}_2$CuO${}_{4+\delta }$ with self-organized interstitial oxygen wires in the Hg spacer planes
• First principle prediction of structural distortions in the cuprates and their impact on the electronic structure
• Compositional Evolution of the Anti-phase Stripe Superstructure in Bi2Sr2-xLaxCuO6 (0<x<=1.1) Revealed by Transmission Electron Microscopy
• Projective Quasiparticle Interference of a Single Scatterer to Analyze the Electronic Band Structure of ZrSiS
• Quantifying Twist Angles in Cuprate Heterostructures with Anisotropic Raman Signatures