Emergence of superconductivity from the dynamically heterogeneous insulating state in La_{2-x}Sr_{x}CuO_{4}

Abstract

A central issue for copper oxides is the nature of the insulating ground state at low carrier densities and the emergence of high-temperature superconductivity from that state with doping. Even though this superconductor-insulator transition (SIT) is a zero-temperature transition, measurements are not usually carried out at low temperatures. Here we use magnetoresistance to probe both the insulating state at very low temperatures and the presence of superconducting fluctuations in La_{2-x}Sr_{x}CuO_{4}(LSCO) films, for doping levels that range from the insulator to the superconductor (x=0.03-0.08). We observe that the charge glass behavior, characteristic of the insulating state, is suppressed with doping, but it coexists with superconducting fluctuations that emerge already on the insulating side of the SIT. The unexpected quenching of the superconducting fluctuations by the competing charge order at low temperatures provides a new perspective on the mechanism for the SIT.

22 pages, 5 figures; Supplementary Information (2 figures) included; published online 18 November 2012 as an Article in Nature Materials

References in corpus (5)

• Localization of preformed Cooper-pairs in disordered superconductors
• Total suppression of superconductivity by high magnetic fields in YBa2 Cu3O6.6
• Doping dependence of the upper critical field in La_{2-x}Sr_xCuO_4 from specific heat
• Evidence for Charge Glass-like Behavior in Lightly Doped La_{2-x}Sr_{x}CuO_{4} at Low Temperatures
• Measurement of low energy charge correlations in underdoped spin-glass La-based cuprates using impedance spectroscopy

Cited by in corpus (20)

• Two-stage magnetic-field-tuned superconductor-insulator transition in underdoped La${}_{2-x}$Sr${}_x$CuO${}_4$
• Cuprate superconductors as viewed through a striped lens
• Effective 2D thickness for the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless-like transition in a highly underdoped La${}_{2-x}$Sr${}_x$CuO${}_4$
• Neutron scattering study of spin ordering and stripe pinning in superconducting La${}_{1.93}$Sr${}_{0.07}$CuO${}_4$
• The emergence of global phase coherence from local pairing in underdoped cuprates
• Collapse of the Cooper pair phase coherence length at a superconductor to insulator transition
• Vortex phase diagram and the normal state of cuprates with charge and spin orders
• Magnetostriction and magneto-structural domains in antiferromagnetic YBa${}_2$Cu${}_3$O${}_6$
• Evidence for Superconducting Phase Coherence in the Metallic/Insulating Regime of the LaAlO3-SrTiO3 Interface Electron System
• Weak phase stiffness and nature of the quantum critical point in underdoped cuprates
• Energy-dependent crossover from anisotropic to isotropic magnetic dispersion in lightly-doped La1.96Sr0.04CuO4
• Insulating and metallic spin glass in K${}_x$Fe${}_{2-\delta -y}$Ni${}_y$Se${}_2$ (0.06 $\le$ $y$ $\le$ 1.44) single crystals
• Superconductivity and charge carrier localization in ultrathin $\mathbf{L}{\mathbf{a}}_{1.85}\mathbf{S}{\mathbf{r}}_{0.15}\mathbf{Cu}{\mathbf{O}}_4/\mathbf{L}{\mathbf{a}}_2\mathbf{Cu}{\mathbf{O}}_4$ bilayers
• Evidence for Correlated Dynamics near the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless-like Transition in Highly Underdoped La${}_{2-x}$Sr${}_x$CuO${}_4$
• Josephson coupling in Lanthanum-based cuprates superlattices
• Nonmetallic Low-Temperature Normal State of K0.70Fe1.46Se1.85Te0.15
• Implications of Charge Ordering in the High Tc Cuprate Superconductors in the Far-infrared Spectroscopy
• Current-voltage characteristics and vortex dynamics in highly underdoped La${}_{2-x}$Sr${}_x$CuO${}_4$
• Persistence of vortexlike phase fluctuations in underdoped to heavily overdoped Bi-2201 cuprates
• Emergent Transition for Superconducting Fluctuations in Antiferromagnetic Ruthenocuprates