Dimensionality of spin modulations in 1/8-doped lanthanum cuprates from the perspective of NQR and muSR experiments

TL;DR

This study compares different spin modulation patterns in 1/8-doped lanthanum cuprates using NQR and muSR experiments, finding none fully explain the data, leaving the spin vortex checkerboard as a plausible pattern.

Contribution

It provides a comparative analysis of possible spin modulation patterns in cuprates using NQR and muSR data, highlighting the ambiguity in interpreting experimental results.

Findings

None of the considered patterns fully explains the experimental data.

The spin vortex checkerboard pattern remains a viable explanation.

Experimental results do not conclusively distinguish between the proposed patterns.

Abstract

We investigate the dimensionality of inhomogeneous spin modulation patterns in the cuprate family of high-temperature superconductors with particular focus on 1/8-doped lanthanum cuprates. We compare one-dimensional stripe modulation pattern with two-dimensional checkerboard of spin vortices in the context of nuclear quadrupole resonance(NQR) and muon spin rotation(muSR) experiments. In addition, we also consider the third pattern, a two-dimensional superposition of spin spirals. Overall, we have found that none of the above patterns leads to a consistent interpretation of the two types of experiments considered. This, in particular, implies that the spin vortex checkerboard cannot be ruled out on the basis of available NQR/muSR experimental results.