Bulk charge stripe order competing with superconductivity in La2-xSrxCuO4 (x=0.12)

TL;DR

This study reveals bulk short-range charge stripe order in La2-xSrxCuO4 that appears below 85 K and competes with superconductivity, with stripe pinning linked to orthorhombic twin boundaries.

Contribution

It provides direct evidence of bulk charge stripe order in La2-xSrxCuO4 and its competition with superconductivity using high-energy x-ray diffraction.

Findings

Charge stripe order exists below 85 K.

Stripe order competes with superconductivity.

Stripe pinning linked to orthorhombic twin boundaries.

Abstract

We present a volume-sensitive high-energy x-ray diffraction study of the underdoped cuprate high temperature superconductor La2-xSrxCuO4 (x = 0.12, Tc=27 K) in applied magnetic field. Bulk short-range charge stripe order with propagation vector q_ch = (0.231, 0, 0.5) is demonstrated to exist below T_ch = 85(10) K and shown to compete with superconductivity. We argue that bulk charge ordering arises from fluctuating stripes that become pinned near boundaries between orthorhombic twin domains.