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On the stability of hole crystals in layered cuprates

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Abstract.

Recent STM measurements have revealed the existence of periodic charge modulations at the surface of certain cuprate superconductors. Here we show that the observed patterns are compatible with the formation of a three-dimensional crystal of doped holes, with space correlations extending between different Cu-O layers. This puts severe constraints on the dynamical stability of the crystallised hole structure, resulting in a close relationship between the periodicity of the electronic modulation and the interlayer distance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Istituto Nazionale di Fisica della Materia and Dipartimento di Fisica, Universitá dell’Aquila, via Vetoio, 67010, Coppito-L’Aquila, Italy

    G. Rastelli

  2. Laboratoire d’Études des Propriétés Électroniques des Solides, CNRS BP166 - 25, Avenue des Martyrs, 38042, Grenoble, Cedex 9, France

    S. Fratini & P. Quémerais

Authors
  1. G. Rastelli
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  2. S. Fratini
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  3. P. Quémerais
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to S. Fratini.

Additional information

Received: 14 June 2004, Published online: 23 December 2004

PACS:

74.72.-h Cuprate superconductors (high-T c and insulating parent compounds) - 71.30. + h Metal-insulator transitions and other electronic transitions - 71.38.-k Polarons and electron-phonon interactions

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Rastelli, G., Fratini, S. & Quémerais, P. On the stability of hole crystals in layered cuprates. Eur. Phys. J. B 42, 305–308 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2004-00385-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2004-00385-4

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