Spin-charge interplay in electronic liquid crystals: fluctuating spin stripe driven by charge nematic

TL;DR

This paper investigates how charge nematic order influences spin stripe fluctuations in electronic liquid crystals, explaining neutron scattering observations in cuprate superconductors through a phenomenological model.

Contribution

It introduces a phenomenological model linking charge nematic order to fluctuating spin stripes, successfully fitting experimental neutron scattering data in YBa₂Cu₃O₆+y.

Findings

Charge nematic order explains incommensurate peaks in neutron scattering.

The model reproduces temperature-dependent spin fluctuation features.

Other ordering scenarios fail to fit the experimental data.

Abstract

We study the interplay between charge and spin ordering in electronic liquid crystalline states with a particular emphasis on fluctuating spin stripe phenomena observed in recent neutron scattering experiments\cite{Hinkov2008, Haug2009}. Based on a phenomenological model, we propose that charge nematic ordering is indeed behind the formation of temperature dependent incommensurate inelastic peaks near wavevector $(\pi,\pi)$ in the dynamic structure factor of YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{6+y}$. We strengthen this claim by providing a compelling fit to the experimental data which cannot be reproduced by a number of other ordering possibilities.