Charge Order and Fluctuations in Bi$_2$Sr$_{2-x}$La$_x$CuO$_{6+\delta}$ Revealed by $^{63,65}$Cu-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance

TL;DR

This study uses $^{63,65}$Cu-NMR to investigate charge-density-wave order and fluctuations in the cuprate Bi$_2$Sr$_{2-x}$La$_x$CuO$_{6+\delta}$, revealing their relationship with pseudogap and superconductivity.

Contribution

It provides new NMR measurements showing how CDW order replaces antiferromagnetic order and its relation to pseudogap temperature in a specific cuprate.

Findings

CDW replaces antiferromagnetic order before superconductivity appears.

CDW onset temperature scales with pseudogap temperature.

Charge fluctuations dominate spin-lattice relaxation in certain doping regions.

Abstract

The discovery of a magnetic-field-induced charge-density-wave (CDW) order in the pseudogap state via nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies has highlighted the importance of "charge" in the physics of high transition-temperature ($T_{\rm c}$) superconductivity in copper oxides (cuprates). Herein, after briefly reviewing the progress achieved in the last few years, we report new results of $^{63,65}$Cu-NMR measurements on the CDW order and its fluctuation in the single-layered cuprate Bi$_2$Sr$_{2-x}$La$_x$CuO$_{6+\delta}$. The NMR spectrum under both in- and out-of-plane magnetic fields above $ H $ = 10 T indicates that the CDW replaces the antiferromagnetic order before superconductivity appears, but disappears before superconductivity is optimized. We found that the CDW onset temperature $T_{\rm CDW}$ scales with the pseudogap temperature $T^{\rm *}$. Comparison between $^{63}$Cu and $^{65}$Cu NMR indicates that the spin-lattice relaxation process is dominated by charge fluctuations in the doping regions where the CDW appears as well as at the pseudogap end point ($T^*$ = 0). These results suggest that charge orders and fluctuations exist in multiple doping regions and over a quite wide temperature range.