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An hour-glass magnetic spectrum in an insulating, hole-doped antiferromagnet.

An hour-glass magnetic spectrum in an insulating, hole-doped antiferromagnet.

Authors :
Boothroyd, A. T.
Babkevich, P.
Prabhakaran, D.
Freeman, P. G.
Source :
Nature. 3/17/2011, Vol. 471 Issue 7338, p341-344. 4p. 1 Diagram, 3 Graphs.
Publication Year :
2011

Abstract

Superconductivity in layered copper oxide compounds emerges when charge carriers are added to antiferromagnetically ordered CuO2 layers. The carriers destroy the antiferromagnetic order, but strong spin fluctuations persist throughout the superconducting phase and are intimately linked to superconductivity. Neutron scattering measurements of spin fluctuations in hole-doped copper oxides have revealed an unusual 'hour-glass' feature in the momentum-resolved magnetic spectrum that is present in a wide range of superconducting and non-superconducting materials. There is no widely accepted explanation for this feature. One possibility is that it derives from a pattern of alternating spin and charge stripes, and this idea is supported by measurements on stripe-ordered La1.875Ba0.125CuO4 (ref. 15). Many copper oxides without stripe order, however, also exhibit an hour-glass spectrum. Here we report the observation of an hour-glass magnetic spectrum in a hole-doped antiferromagnet from outside the family of superconducting copper oxides. Our system has stripe correlations and is an insulator, which means that its magnetic dynamics can conclusively be ascribed to stripes. The results provide compelling evidence that the hour-glass spectrum in the copper oxide superconductors arises from fluctuating stripes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
00280836
Volume :
471
Issue :
7338
Database :
Academic Search Index
Journal :
Nature
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
59345711
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1038/nature09902