Scattering Interference Signature of a Pair Density Wave State in the Cuprate Pseudogap Phase

Abstract

An unidentified quantum fluid designated as the pseudogap (PG) phase is produced by electron-density depletion in the CuO${}_2$ antiferromagnetic insulator. Current theories suggest that the PG phase may be a pair density wave (PDW) state characterized by a spatially modulating density of electron pairs. Such a state should exhibit a periodically modulating energy gap ${\Delta }_P(r)$ in real-space, and a characteristic quasiparticle scattering interference (QPI) signature ${\Lambda }_P(q)$ in wavevector space. By studying strongly underdoped Bi${}_2$Sr${}_2$CaDyCu${}_2$O${}_8$ at hole-density ~0.08 in the superconductive phase, we detect the $8a_0$-periodic ${\Delta }_P(r)$ modulations signifying a PDW coexisting with superconductivity. Then, by visualizing the temperature dependence of this electronic structure from the superconducting into the pseudogap phase, we find evolution of the scattering interference signature $\Lambda (q)$ that is predicted specifically for the temperature dependence of an $8a_0$-periodic PDW. These observations are consistent with theory for the transition from a PDW state coexisting with d-wave superconductivity to a pure PDW state in the Bi${}_2$Sr${}_2$CaDyCu${}_2$O${}_8$ pseudogap phase.

30 pages, 5 figures and Supplementary Information

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Cited by in corpus (5)

• Near-infrared light-induced superconducting-like state in underdoped YBa${}_2$Cu${}_3$O${}_y$ studied by $c$-axis terahertz third-harmonic generation
• Microscopic mechanism for fluctuating pair density wave
• Exact solution for finite center-of-mass momentum Cooper pairing
• Intertwined Orders and Electronic Structure in Superconducting Vortex Halos
• Effects of annealing on the fluctuation conductivity and pseudogap in slightly doped $HoB{a}_{2}C{u}_3{O}_{7-\delta }$ single crystals