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Two-stage magnetic-field-tuned superconductor–insulator transition in underdoped La2−xSrxCuO4

Nature Physics volume 10, pages 437–443 (2014)Cite this article

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Abstract

In the underdoped pseudogap regime of cuprate superconductors, the normal state is commonly probed by applying a magnetic field (H). However, the nature of the H-induced resistive state has been the subject of a long-term debate, and clear evidence for a zero-temperature H-tuned superconductor–insulator transition has proved elusive. Here we report magnetoresistance measurements on underdoped La2−xSrxCuO4, providing striking evidence for quantum-critical behaviour of the resistivity—the signature of a H-driven superconductor–insulator transition. The transition is not direct, being accompanied by the emergence of an intermediate state, which is a superconductor only at temperature T = 0. Our finding of a two-stage H-driven superconductor–insulator transition goes beyond the conventional scenario in which a single quantum critical point separates the superconductor and the insulator in the presence of a perpendicular magnetic field. Similar two-stage H-driven superconductor–insulator transitions, in which both disorder and quantum phase fluctuations play an important role, may also be expected in other copper-oxide high-temperature superconductors.

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Figure 1: Temperature dependence of the in-plane resistivity ρ in different magnetic fields H ρ c for x = 0.07 LSCO film.
Figure 2: High-temperature (T ≳ 5 K) behaviour of the resistivity ρ in different magnetic fields H ‖ c for x = 0.07 LSCO film.
Figure 3: Low-temperature (T 0.3 K) behaviour of the resistivity ρ in different magnetic fields H ‖ c for x = 0.07 LSCO film.
Figure 4: Transport H − T phase diagram and scaling regions in underdoped LSCO.
Figure 5: Sketch of the interplay of vortex physics and quantum critical behaviour in the H–T phase diagram.

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Acknowledgements

We thank P. Baity for experimental assistance, and A. T. Bollinger and I. Božović for the film sample. The work by X.S., P.V.L. and D.P. was supported by NSF/DMR-0905843, NSF/DMR-1307075, and the NHMFL, which was supported by NSF/DMR-0654118, NSF/DMR-1157490 and the State of Florida. The work of T.S. was supported by an MSL Collaborative Research Project. V.D. was supported by NSF/DMR-1005751. V.D. and D.P. thank the Aspen Center for Physics, where part of this work was done, for hospitality and support under NSF/PHYS-1066293.

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  1. Xiaoyan Shi

    Present address: Present address: Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185, USA.,

Authors and Affiliations

  1. National High Magnetic Field Laboratory and Department of Physics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32310, USA

    Xiaoyan Shi, Ping V. Lin, V. Dobrosavljević & Dragana Popović

  2. Materials and Structures Laboratory, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Kanagawa 226-8503, Japan

    T. Sasagawa

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Contributions

X.S. and D.P. conceived the project; the single crystal was grown by T.S.; X.S. and P.V.L. performed the measurements and analysed the data; V.D. and D.P. contributed to the data analysis and interpretation; X.S., P.V.L. and D.P. wrote the manuscript; D.P. planned and supervised the investigation. All authors commented on the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Dragana Popović.

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Shi, X., Lin, P., Sasagawa, T. et al. Two-stage magnetic-field-tuned superconductor–insulator transition in underdoped La2−xSrxCuO4. Nature Phys 10, 437–443 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphys2961

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