Pronounced in-plane anisotropy of phonon anomalies in YBa(2)Cu(3)O(6.6)

The dispersion of the Cu-O bond-stretching and bond-bending vibrations in YBa(2)Cu(3)O(6.6) has been studied by high resolution inelastic neutron scattering. While the behavior of the bond-bending vibrations can be well accounted for by a simple potential model, the bond-stretching vibrations show a highly anomalous behavior. The displacement pattern of the most anomalous phonons is in principle consistent with dynamic charge stripe formation. However, charge stripes would have to extend along the a axis and not the b axis as inferred from the magnetic fluctuations by Mook et al. [Nature (London) 404, 729 (2000)].     

Phase diagram for stripes in YBa2Cu3O6+x superconductors

Neutron scattering has been used to measure the charge and spin structure in the YBa₂Cu₃O_6+x superconductors. Incommensurate static charge ordering is found at low doping levels while only charge fluctuations are found at higher doping. The spin structure is complex with both a commensurate resonance and incommensurate structure observed at low temperatures. The scattering results are used to construct a phase diagram for stripes in the YBa₂Cu₃O_6+x system.     

Direct observation of a (3 x 3) phase in alpha-Pb/Ge(111) at 10 K

We have investigated the recently reported structural phase transition at low temperature (LT) for alpha-Pb/Ge(111) [from a (3 x 3) symmetry to a disordered phase] using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). By tracking exactly the same surface regions with atomic resolution while varying the sample temperature from 40 to 140 K, we have observed that substitutional point defects are not mobile, in clear contrast to previous assumptions. Moreover, STM data measured at the lowest temperatures ever reported for this system (10 K) show that while filled-state images display the apparent signature of a glassy phase with no long-range order, in empty-state images honeycomb patterns with (3 x 3) periodicity, and not distinguishable from data measured at much higher temperatures, are clearly resolved. These new observations cast serious doubts on the nature and/or on the existence of a disordered phase at LT.     

Tendencies toward nematic order in YBa<Subscript>2</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>6+δ</Subscript>: Uniform distortion <Emphasis Type="Italic">vs.</Emphasis> incipient charge stripes

Recent neutron scattering and transport data obtained on underdoped YBa₂Cu₃O_6+δ, with strong signatures of rotation symmetry breaking at low temperatures, point toward electron-nematic order in the charge sector. Such order may originate from a uniform distortion with d-wave symmetry or as a precursor of a uni-directional stripe phase. Here, we discuss whether the neutron scattering data can be linked to incipient charge stripes. We employ and extend a phenomenological model for collective spin and charge fluctuations and analyze the resulting spin excitation spectrum under the influence of lattice anisotropies. Our results show that the experimentally observed temperature-dependent magnetic incommensurability is compatible with a scenario of incipient stripes, the temperature dependence being due to the temperature variation of both strength and correlation length of the charge stripes. Finally, we propose further experiments to distinguish the possible theoretical scenarios.     

Charge stripe glasses in La<Subscript>2-x</Subscript>Sr<Subscript>x</Subscript>NiO<Subscript>4</Subscript> for 0.20 < x < 0.25

We present high resolution X-ray measurements characterising the charge stripe order state in the La_2-xSr_xNiO₄ system with x = 0.20, 0.225 and 0.25. We find that in the x = 0.20, 0.225 and 0.25 systems the charge stripe order exists in a charge stripe glass characterised by weak, poorly correlated incommensurate charge stripes in contrast to the strong well correlated charge stripes in the commensurate x = 1/3 system. No stabilisation of the charge order was observed at the next possible commensurate value of ε= 0.25. A comparison with high energy X-ray measurements suggested that the charge order may exist in a charge stripe glass in the bulk in the doping region x = 0.20 - 0.33. Finally at low temperature there was an initial increase in the intensity and correlation not observed with neutron measurements and it appears to be an effect that X-rays are sensitive to but neutrons are not.     

Correlated Membrane Fluctuations in Nanocrystal Superlattices

Superlattices of organic monolayer-stabilized silver nanocrystals exhibit structural integrity at temperatures well above the melting point of the hydrocarbon capping ligands (i.e., the C (8), C (12), and C (16) alkanethiols used in this study). Temperature-dependent small angle x-ray scattering reveals that topological disordering occurs with spatially correlated domains of characteristic length xi that grow with increasing temperature until xi diverges at a critical temperature T(c), as xi approximately xi(0)(1-T/T(c))(-0.67). A power law analysis of the scattering intensity with wave vector indicates that interactions between membranes due to thermal undulations control the topology below T(c).     

Charge and spin structure in of YBa(2)Cu(3)O(6.35)

Neutron scattering has been used to measure the charge and spin structure in the highly underdoped superconductor YBa(2)Cu(3)O(6.35). Incommensurate static charge ordering is found that remains at high temperatures. The magnetic pattern is complex with a resonance and incommensurate structure observed at low temperatures. The results clarify the role of striped phases in YBa(2)Cu(3)O(6+x) superconductors.     

Low temperature disordered phase of alpha-Pb/Ge(111)

A new structural phase transition has been observed at low temperature for the one-third of a monolayer (alpha phase) of Pb on Ge(111) using a variable-temperature scanning tunneling microscope. The well-known (sqrt[3] x sqrt[3])R30 degrees to (3 x 3) transition is accompanied by a new structural phase transition from (3 x 3) to a disordered phase at approximately 76 K. The formation of this "glasslike" phase is a consequence of competing interactions on different length scales.     

Phason and amplitudon in the charge-density-wave phase of one-dimensional charge stripes in La(2-x)Sr(x)CuO4

The present systematic Raman scattering experiments reveal the phason and amplitudon of the charge density wave (CDW) mode in the charge stripes of La(2-x)Sr(x)CuO4. Only about 15% of the electronic density of states condenses into the CDW state. The symmetries of the CDW modes change by the rotation of the stripes at the insulator-metal transition. The energy of the phason is finite at 0.06 < or = x < or = 0.1 and zero at x = 0.035 and 0.115 < or = x < or = 0.135, which suggests that the CDW is commensurate at 0.06 < or = x < or = 0.1 and incommensurate otherwise. The zero-energy phason seems to reduce T(c) at x = 1/8.     

Stress induced stripe formation in Pd/W(110)

A stress-induced stripe phase of submonolayer Pd on W(110) is observed by low-energy electron microscopy. The temperature dependence of the pattern is explained by the change both in the boundary free energy and elastic relaxation energy due to the increasing boundary width. The stripes are shown to disorder when the correlation length of the condensed phase becomes comparable to its period, while the condensate to lattice-gas transition takes place at a higher temperature, as revealed by low-energy electron diffraction.     

Melting of bosonic stripes

We use quantum Monte Carlo simulations to determine the finite temperature phase diagram and to investigate the thermal and quantum melting of stripe phases in a two-dimensional hard-core boson model. At half filling and low temperatures the stripes melt at a first order transition. In the doped system, the melting transitions of the smectic phase at high temperatures and the superfluid smectic (supersolid) phase at low temperatures are either very weakly first order, or of second order with no clear indications for an intermediate nematic phase.     

Supercooling of the disordered vortex lattice in Bi(2)Sr(2)CaCu(2)O(8+delta)

Time-resolved local induction measurements near the vortex lattice order-disorder transition in optimally doped Bi(2)Sr(2)CaCu(2)O(8+delta) crystals show that the high-field, disordered phase can be quenched to fields as low as half the transition field. Over an important range of fields, the electrodynamical behavior of the vortex system is governed by the coexistence of ordered and disordered vortex phases in the sample. We interpret the results as supercooling of the high-field phase and the possible first-order nature of the order-disorder transition at the "second magnetization peak."     

Magnetic domains and stripes in a spin-fermion model for cuprates

Monte Carlo simulations applied to a model of interacting fermions and classical spins show the existence of antiferromagnetic spin domains and charge stripes upon hole doping. The stripes have a filling of approximately 1/2 hole per site, and they separate spin domains with a pi phase shift among them. The observed stripes run either along the x or y axes. No particular boundary conditions or external fields are needed to stabilize these structures. When magnetic incommensurate peaks are observed at momentum pi(1,1-delta), charge incommensurate peaks appear at (0,2delta). The charge fluctuations responsible for the stripe formation also induce a pseudogap in the density of states.     

Dynamical ordering of driven stripe phases in quenched disorder

We examine the dynamics and stripe formation in a system with competing short and long-range interactions in the presence of both an applied dc drive and quenched disorder. Without disorder, the system forms stripes organized in a labyrinth state. We find that, when the disorder strength exceeds a critical value, an applied dc drive can induce a dynamical stripe ordering transition to a state that is more ordered than the originating undriven, unpinned pattern. We show that signatures in the structure factor and transport properties correspond to this dynamical reordering transition, and we present the dynamic phase diagram as a function of strengths of disorder and dc drive.     

Thermally activated stripe reconstruction induced by O on Nb (011)

We report scanning tunneling microscopy and low energy electron microscopy (LEEM) observations for thin films of Nb (011) of stripe-phase behavior by two variants of an O-induced reconstruction. Stripes occur for thin films but not bulk crystals. At low temperatures the less-favored variant is thermally activated as single stripes on surface heterogeneities. Near T0 = 1505 K, where the reconstruction is lifted, the stripes crowd to form a periodic array with a temperature dependent spacing. LEEM permits quantitative insight into stripe behavior and reveals novel details of stripes interacting with topographic features such as steps, facets, and dislocations.     

Electrical and thermal properties of Pr2/3(Ba1−xCsx)1/3MnO3 manganites

Electrical and thermal properties of Pr_2/3(Ba_1?x Cs _x )_1/3MnO₃ (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.25) manganite perovskites are reported here. Two insulator-metal (I-M) transitions (T _P1 &T _P2) are observed in the electrical resistivity (ρ) of the pristine Pr_2/3Ba_1/3MnO₃ (PBMO) sample, and they are systematically shifted to lower temperatures with increasing Cs substitution. An upturn in ρ is noticed below 50 K in these perovskites, presumably due to the combined effect of weak localization, electron-electron and electron-phonon scattering. It is found that the absolute value of room-temperature thermoelectric power (TEP) gradually decreases with increasing Cs content, implying the annihilation of the charge carriers with doping. An analysis of the electrical resistivity and thermoelectric power data indicates that the paramagnetic insulating state above T _P1 is governed by the small polaron hopping due to a non-adiabatic process. It is argued that the electron-magnon scattering processes are responsible for low temperature metallic behavior of TEP. A distinct specific heat peak below T _P1 is observed, attributed to the magnetic ordering, and its broadening with Cs-doping corresponds to the increase of magnetic inhomogeneity. Further, the temperature variation of thermal conductivity and the low temperature plateau in κ has been associated with the delocalization of Jahn-Teller polarons and transition from Umklapp scattering to a defect-limited scattering, respectively.     

On the contribution of nearly critical spin and charge collective modes to the Raman spectra of high-Tc cuprates

We discuss how Raman spectra are affected by nearly critical spin and charge collective modes, which are coupled to charge carriers near a stripe quantum critical point. We show that specific fingerprints of nearly critical collective modes can indeed be observed in Raman spectra and that the selectivity of Raman spectroscopy in momentum space may also be exploited to distinguish the spin and charge contribution. We apply our results to discuss the spectra of high-T_c superconducting cuprates finding that the collective modes should have masses with substantial temperature dependence in agreement with their nearly critical character. Moreover, spin modes should be more diffusive than charge modes indicating that in stripes the charge is nearly ordered, while spin modes are strongly overdamped and fluctuate with high frequency.     

Phonon anomalies due to collective stripe modes in high T(c) cuprates

Phonon anomalies observed in various high T(c) cuprates by neutron experiments are analyzed theoretically in terms of the stripe concept. The phonon self-energy correction is evaluated by taking into account the charge collective modes of stripes, giving rise to dispersion gap, or kink and shadow phonon modes at twice the wave number of spin stripe. These features coincide precisely with observations. The gapped branches of the phonon are found to be in-phase and out-of-phase oscillations relative to the charge collective mode.     

Crystalline order in superfluid (3)He films

We predict an inhomogeneous phase of superfluid (3)He films in which translational symmetry is spontaneously broken in the plane of the film. This phase is energetically favored over a range of film thicknesses, D(c2)(T) < D < D(c1)(T), separating distinct homogeneous superfluid phases. The instability at the critical film thickness, D(c2) approximately 9 xi (T), is a single-mode instability generating striped phase order in the film. Numerical calculations of the order parameter and free energy indicate a second-order instability to a periodic lattice of degenerate B-like phases separated by domain walls at D(c1) approximately 13 xi (T).     

Specific heat of disordered superfluid 3He

The specific heat of superfluid 3He, disordered by a silica aerogel, is found to have a sharp discontinuity marking the thermodynamic transition to superfluidity at a temperature reduced from that of bulk 3He. The magnitude of the discontinuity is also suppressed. This disorder effect can be understood from the Ginzburg-Landau theory which takes into account elastic quasiparticle scattering suppressing both the transition temperature and the amplitude of the order parameter. We infer that the limiting temperature dependence of the specific heat is linear at low temperatures in the disordered superfluid state, consistent with predictions of gapless excitations everywhere on the Fermi surface.