Ubiquitous Charge Order Correlations in High-Temperature Superconducting Cuprates

TL;DR

This paper reviews the universal presence and characteristics of charge order in high-Tc cuprates, highlighting its potential role in pseudogap phenomena and high-temperature superconductivity.

Contribution

It synthesizes recent findings to demonstrate the universal aspects of charge order and its fluctuations, suggesting their importance in superconductivity.

Findings

Charge order is universally observed in high-Tc cuprates.

Charge order fluctuations occur at high temperatures and energy scales.

Charge order may be essential for pseudogap formation and superconductivity.

Abstract

The presence of charge order in high-transition-temperature copper oxides (high-Tc cuprates) was identified a decade ago. Now it is a universally observed order like the antiferromagnetic and the superconducting orders of the cuprates. The charge order shows up in various forms depending on materials, and it overlaps other orders in the phase diagram. Because of this diversity and complexity it has been far from clear whether or not the charge order has a direct relevance to superconductivity and to the mysterious pseudogap phenomenon. However, the research development in the last few years has been successful in revealing universal aspects of the charge order and its fluctuations. It turns out that the charge order is compatible with superconductivity, and that its fluctuations have high onset temperature and high energy scale comparable to those of the pseudogap. The charge order correlations might be indispensable for creating the pseudogap and possibly generating high-Tc superconductivity by collaborating with spin and pairing correlations.