RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Vortex phase diagram and the normal state of cuprates with charge and spin orders
JF Science Advances
JO Sci Adv
FD American Association for the Advancement of Science
SP eaay8946
DO 10.1126/sciadv.aay8946
VO 6
IS 7
A1 Shi, Zhenzhong
A1 Baity, P. G.
A1 Sasagawa, T.
A1 Popović, Dragana
YR 2020
UL http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/7/eaay8946.abstract
AB The phase diagram of underdoped cuprates in a magnetic field (H) is key to understanding the anomalous normal state of these high-temperature superconductors. However, the upper critical field (Hc2), the extent of superconducting (SC) phase with vortices, and the role of charge orders at high H remain controversial. Here we study stripe-ordered La-214, i.e., cuprates in which charge orders are most pronounced and zero-field SC transition temperatures Tc0 are lowest. This enables us to explore the vortex phases in a previously inaccessible energy scale window. By combining linear and nonlinear transport techniques sensitive to vortex matter, we determine the T − H phase diagram, directly detect Hc2, and reveal novel properties of the high-field ground state. Our results demonstrate that quantum fluctuations and disorder play a key role as T → 0, while the high-field ground state is likely a metal, not an insulator, due to the presence of stripes.