Magic Doping Fractions in High-Temperature Superconductors

TL;DR

This study investigates how the in-plane resistivity of La_{2-x}Sr_{x}CuO_{4} varies with hole doping, revealing tendencies towards charge ordering at specific rational fractions, supporting theoretical predictions of checkerboard Cooper pair arrangements.

Contribution

It provides experimental evidence for charge ordering at specific rational doping fractions in high-temperature superconductors, aligning with recent theoretical models.

Findings

Charge ordering tendencies at doping fractions 1/16, 3/32, 1/8, 3/16.

Supports checkerboard-type Cooper pair ordering theory.

Experimental data consistent with theoretical predictions.

Abstract

We report hole-doping dependence of the in-plane resistivity \rho_{ab} in a cuprate superconductor La_{2-x}Sr_{x}CuO_{4}, carefully examined using a series of high-quality single crystals. Our detailed measurements find a tendency towards charge ordering at particular rational hole doping fractions of 1/16, 3/32, 1/8, and 3/16. This observation appears to suggest a specific form of charge order and is most consistent with the recent theoretical prediction of the checkerboard-type ordering of the Cooper pairs at rational doping fractions x = (2m+1)/2^n, with integers m and n.