Metal-insulator quantum critical point beneath the high T c superconducting dome

An enduring question in correlated systems concerns whether superconductivity is favored at a quantum critical point (QCP) characterized by a divergent quasiparticle effective mass. Despite such a scenario being widely postulated in high T c cuprates and invoked to explain non-Fermi liquid transport...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 2010-04, Vol.107 (14), p.6175-6179
Main Authors: Sebastian, Suchitra E., Harrison, N., Altarawneh, M. M., Mielke, C. H., Liang, Ruixing, Bonn, D. A., Hardy, W. N., Lonzarich, G. G., Greene, Laura H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Average linear density
Critical points
Cuprates
Doping
Fermi surfaces
Magnetic fields
Magnets
Quasiparticles
Superconductors
Temperature dependence
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Summary:An enduring question in correlated systems concerns whether superconductivity is favored at a quantum critical point (QCP) characterized by a divergent quasiparticle effective mass. Despite such a scenario being widely postulated in high T c cuprates and invoked to explain non-Fermi liquid transport signatures, experimental evidence is lacking for a critical divergence under the superconducting dome. We use ultrastrong magnetic fields to measure quantum oscillations in underdoped YBa₂Cu₃O 6+x , revealing a dramatic doping-dependent upturn in quasiparticle effective mass at a critical metal-insulator transition beneath the superconducting dome. Given the location of this QCP under a plateau in T c in addition to a postulated QCP at optimal doping, we discuss the intriguing possibility of two intersecting superconducting subdomes, each centered at a critical Fermi surface instability.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.0913711107