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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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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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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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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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nphys2961
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