Charge ordering in superconducting copper oxides

TL;DR

This paper reviews charge ordering phenomena in high-temperature superconducting cuprates, focusing on experimental findings, their relation to superconductivity, and future research directions using advanced synthesis and measurement techniques.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive survey of charge order in cuprates, highlighting universal features, material-specific aspects, and connections to lattice dynamics, with insights into experimental and theoretical perspectives.

Findings

Charge order competes with superconductivity in cuprates.

Charge order exhibits specific periodicity and stability ranges.

External perturbations influence charge order properties.

Abstract

Charge order has recently been identified as a leading competitor of high-temperature superconductivity in moderately doped cuprates. We provide a survey of universal and materials-specific aspects of this phenomenon, with emphasis on results obtained by scattering methods. In particular, we discuss the structure, periodicity, and stability range of the charge-ordered state, its response to various external perturbations, the influence of disorder, the coexistence and competition with superconductivity, as well as collective charge dynamics. In the context of this journal issue which honors Roger Cowley's legacy, we also discuss the connection of charge ordering with lattice vibrations and the central-peak phenomenon. We end the review with an outlook on research opportunities offered by new synthesis methods and experimental platforms, including cuprate thin films and superlattices.