Evolution of the low energy spin dynamics in electron-doped high-transition temperature superconductor Pr0.88LaCe0.12CuO4-d

TL;DR

This study investigates how low energy spin dynamics evolve in electron-doped cuprate Pr0.88LaCe0.12CuO4-d as it transitions from antiferromagnetic to superconducting states, highlighting quantum critical behavior.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the evolution of spin excitations and the role of quantum criticality in electron-doped cuprates during the transition to superconductivity.

Findings

Low energy spin response couples to antiferromagnetic phase in under-doped samples.

Near optimal doping, spin fluctuations become insensitive to temperature.

Data suggests a quantum critical point influences the phase transition.

Abstract

We use inelastic neutron scattering to explore the evolution of the low energy spin dynamics in the electron-doped cuprate Pr0.88LaCe0.12CuO4-d (PLCCO) as the system is tuned from its nonsuperconducting, as-grown antiferromagnetic (AF) state into an optimally-doped superconductor (Tc~24 K) without static AF order. The low temperature, low energy response of the spin excitations in under-doped samples is coupled to the presence of the AF phase, whereas the low-energy magnetic response for samples near optimal Tc exhibits spin fluctuations surprisingly insensitive to the sample temperature. This evolution of the low energy excitations is consistent with the influence of a quantum critical point in the phase diagram of PLCCO associated with the suppression of the static AF order. We carried out scaling analysis of the data and discuss the influence of quantum critical dynamics in the observed excitation spectrum.