Pairing Theory of Striped Superconductivity

TL;DR

This paper develops an effective Hartree-Fock theory that captures both spin and charge order, explaining key experimental features of striped high-$T_c$ superconductors like La$_{2-x}$Ba$_x$CuO$_4$ near $x=1/8$.

Contribution

It introduces a novel Hartree-Fock approach that simultaneously models electron pairing with finite momentum and antiferromagnetism in striped superconductors.

Findings

Reproduces antiferromagnetic stripe patterns at 7/8 band filling.

Matches quasi one-dimensional electronic structures observed in experiments.

Provides a unified theoretical framework for spin and charge order in high-$T_c$ superconductors.

Abstract

Striped high-$T_{\rm c}$ superconductors such as La$_{2-y-x}$Nd$_{y}$Sr$_x$CuO$_4$ and La$_{2-x}$Ba$_{x}$CuO$_4$ near $x=1/8$ show a fascinating competition between spin and charge order and superconductivity. A theory for these systems therefore has to capture both the spin correlations of an antiferromagnet and the pair correlations of a superconductor. For this purpose we present here an effective Hartree-Fock theory incorporating both electron pairing with finite center-of-mass momentum and antiferromagnetism. We show that this theory reproduces the key experimental features such as the formation of the antiferromagnetic stripe patterns at 7/8 band filling or the quasi one-dimensional electronic structure observed by photoemission spectroscopy.