Field-induced magnetic order in La$sub {2-x}$Sr$sub x$CuO$sub 4$ (x = 0.10, 0.115, 0.13) studied by in-plane thermal conductivity measurements

TL;DR

This study investigates how magnetic fields influence thermal conductivity in La$_{2-x}$Sr$_x$CuO$_4$, revealing that static stripe order is induced by magnetic fields, affecting heat transport in these cuprate superconductors.

Contribution

It demonstrates that magnetic fields induce static stripe order in La$_{2-x}$Sr$_x$CuO$_4$, evidenced by suppressed thermal conductivity linked to stripe pinning by vortex cores.

Findings

Thermal conductivity is suppressed below a certain temperature in magnetic fields.

Suppression correlates with the development of static stripe order.

Zn substitution stabilizes static stripe order, reducing suppression.

Abstract

We have measured the thermal conductivity in the $ab$-plane of La$_{2-x}$Sr$_x$CuO$_4$ ($x =$ 0.10, 0.115, 0.13) in magnetic fields up to 14 T parallel to the c-axis and also parallel to the $ab$-plane. By the application of magnetic fields parallel to the c-axis, the thermal conductivity has been found to be suppressed at low temperatures below the temperature $T_\kappa$ which is located above the superconducting transition temperature and is almost independent of the magnitude of the magnetic field. The suppression is marked in $x =$ 0.10 and 0.13, while it is small in $x =$ 0.115. Furthermore, no suppression is observed in the 1 % Zn-substituted La$_{2-x}$Sr$_x$Cu$_{0.99}$Zn$_{0.01}$O$_4$ with $x =$ 0.115. Taking into account the experimental results that the temperature dependence of the relative reduction of the thermal conductivity is quite similar to the temperature dependence of the intensity of the incommensurate magnetic Bragg peak corresponding to the static stripe order and that the Zn substitution tends to stabilize the static order, it is concluded that the suppression of the thermal conductivity in magnetic fields is attributed to the development of the static stripe order. The present results suggest that the field-induced magnetic order in La$_{2-x}$Sr$_x$CuO$_4$ originates from the pinning of the dynamical stripes of spins and holes by vortex cores.