Magnetic field induced charge and spin instabilities in cuprate superconductors

TL;DR

This paper proposes a theoretical model linking magnetic and charge instabilities in cuprate superconductors to quantum fluctuations near vortices, explaining observed spin density waves and electronic patterns.

Contribution

It introduces a 'QED3 in a box' framework to describe local instabilities around vortices in d-wave superconductors, connecting quantum fluctuations to experimental phenomena.

Findings

Incommensurate 2D spin density wave near vortices

Checkerboard pattern in local electronic density of states

Agreement with neutron scattering and tunneling spectroscopy

Abstract

A d-wave superconductor, subject to strong phase fluctuations, is known to suffer an antiferromagnetic instability closely related to the chiral symmetry breaking in (2+1)-dimensional quantum electrodynamics (QED3). On the basis of this idea we formulate a "QED3 in a box" theory of local instabilities of a d-wave superconductor in the vicinity of a single pinned vortex undergoing quantum fluctuations around its equilibrium position. As a generic outcome we find an incommensurate 2D spin density wave forming in the neighborhood of a vortex with a concomitant "checkerboard" pattern in the local electronic density of states, in agreement with recent neutron scattering and tunneling spectroscopy measurements.