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The observation of hydrodynamic transport in the metallic delafossite PdCoO$_2$ has increased interest in this family of highly conductive oxides, but experimental studies so far have mostly been confined to bulk crystals. In this work, the development of high-quality thin films of PdCoO$_2$ has enabled a thorough study of the conductivity as a function of film thickness using both dc transport and time-domain THz spectroscopy. With increasing film thickness from 12 nm to 102 nm, the residual resistivity decreases and we observe a large deviation from Matthiessen's rule (DMR) in the temperature dependence of the resistivity. We find that the complex THz conductivity is well fit by a single Drude term. We fit the data to extract the spectral weight and scattering rate simultaneously. The temperature dependence of the Drude scattering rate is found to be nearly independent of the residual resistivity and cannot be the primary mechanism for the observed DMR. Rather, we observe large changes in the spectral weight as a function of disorder, changing by a factor of 1.5 from the most disordered to least disordered films. We believe this corresponds to a mass enhancement of $\geq 2$ times the value of the bulk effective mass which increases with residual disorder. This suggests that the mechanism behind the DMR observed in dc resistivity is primarily driven by changes in the electron mass. We discuss the possible origins of this behavior including the possibility of disorder-enhanced electron-phonon scattering, which can be systematically tuned by film thickness., 10 pages, 8 figures

Spin-waves e.g. magnons are the conventional elementary excitations of ordered magnets. However, other possibilities exist. For instance, magnon bound-states can arise due to attractive magnon-magnon interactions and drastically impact the static and dynamic properties of materials. Here, we demonstrate a zoo of distinct multi-magnon quasiparticles in the frustrated spin-1 triangular antiferromagnet FeI$_2$ using time-domain terahertz spectroscopy. The energy-magnetic field excitation spectrum contains signatures of one-, two-, four- and six-magnon bound-states, which we analyze using an exact diagonalization approach for a dilute gas of interacting magnons. The two-magnon single-ion bound states occur due to strong anisotropy and the preponderance of even higher order excitations arises from the tendency of the single-ion bound states to themselves form bound states due to their very flat dispersion. This menagerie of tunable interacting quasiparticles provides a unique platform in a condensed matter setting that is reminiscent of the few-body quantum phenomena central to cold-atom, nuclear, and particle physics experiments.

Five transport coefficients of the cuprate superconductor ${\mathrm{Bi}}_{2}{\mathrm{Sr}}_{2\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{La}}_{x}{\mathrm{CuO}}_{6+\ensuremath{\delta}}$ were measured in the normal state down to low temperature, reached by applying a magnetic field (up to 66 T) large enough to suppress superconductivity. The electrical resistivity, Hall coefficient, thermal conductivity, Seebeck coefficient, and thermal Hall conductivity were measured in two overdoped single crystals, with La concentration $x=0.2$ (${T}_{\mathrm{c}} =18$ K) and $x=0.0$ (${T}_{\mathrm{c}} =10$ K). The samples have dopings $p$ very close to the critical doping ${p}^{★}$ where the pseudogap phase ends. The resistivity displays a linear dependence on temperature whose slope is consistent with Planckian dissipation. The Hall number ${n}_{\mathrm{H}}$ decreases with reduced $p$, consistent with a drop in carrier density from $n=1+p$ above ${p}^{★}$ to $n=p$ below ${p}^{★}$. This drop in ${n}_{\mathrm{H}}$ is concomitant with a sharp drop in the density of states inferred from prior NMR Knight shift measurements. The thermal conductivity satisfies the Wiedemann-Franz law, showing that the pseudogap phase at $T=0$ is a metal whose fermionic excitations carry heat and charge as do conventional electrons. The Seebeck coefficient diverges logarithmically at low temperature, a signature of quantum criticality. The thermal Hall conductivity becomes negative at low temperature, showing that phonons are chiral in the pseudogap phase. Given the observation of these same properties in other, very different cuprates, our study provides strong evidence for the universality of these five signatures of the pseudogap phase and its critical point.

The specific heat $C$ of the cuprate superconductors ${\mathrm{La}}_{2\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Sr}}_{x}{\mathrm{CuO}}_{4}$ and ${\mathrm{Bi}}_{2+y}{\mathrm{Sr}}_{2\ensuremath{-}x\ensuremath{-}y}{\mathrm{La}}_{x}{\mathrm{CuO}}_{6+\ensuremath{\delta}}$ was measured at low temperatures (down to 0.5 K) for dopings $p$ close to ${p}^{★}$, the critical doping for the onset of the pseudogap phase. A magnetic field up to 35 T was applied to suppress superconductivity, giving direct access to the normal state at low temperatures, and enabling a determination of ${C}_{\mathrm{e}}$, the electronic contribution to the normal-state specific heat at $T\ensuremath{\rightarrow}0$. In ${\mathrm{La}}_{2\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Sr}}_{x}{\mathrm{CuO}}_{4}$ at $x=p=0.22$, 0.24 and 0.25, ${C}_{\mathrm{e}}/T=15\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}\mathrm{to}\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}16\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}\mathrm{mJ}\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}{\mathrm{mol}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}{\mathrm{K}}^{\ensuremath{-}2}$ at $T=2\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}\mathrm{K}$, values that are twice as large as those measured at higher doping ($pg0.3$) and lower doping ($pl0.15$). This confirms the presence of a broad peak in the doping dependence of ${C}_{\mathrm{e}}$ at ${p}^{★}\ensuremath{\simeq}0.19$ as previously reported for samples in which superconductivity was destroyed by Zn impurities. Moreover, at those three dopings, we find a logarithmic growth as $T\ensuremath{\rightarrow}0$ such that ${C}_{\mathrm{e}}/T\ensuremath{\sim}B\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}ln({T}_{0}/T)$. The peak versus $p$ and the logarithmic dependence versus $T$ are the two typical thermodynamic signatures of quantum criticality. In the very different cuprate ${\mathrm{Bi}}_{2+y}{\mathrm{Sr}}_{2\ensuremath{-}x\ensuremath{-}y}{\mathrm{La}}_{x}{\mathrm{CuO}}_{6+\ensuremath{\delta}}$, we again find that ${C}_{\mathrm{e}}/T\ensuremath{\sim}B\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}ln({T}_{0}/T)$ at $p\ensuremath{\simeq}{p}^{★}$, strong evidence that this $ln(1/T)$ dependence of the electronic specific heat---first discovered in the cuprates ${\mathrm{La}}_{1.8\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Eu}}_{0.2}{\mathrm{Sr}}_{x}{\mathrm{CuO}}_{4}$ and ${\mathrm{La}}_{1.6\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Nd}}_{0.4}{\mathrm{Sr}}_{x}{\mathrm{CuO}}_{4}$---is a universal property of the pseudogap critical point.

The nature of the pseudogap phase of cuprates remains a major puzzle. Although there are indications that this phase breaks various symmetries, there is no consensus on its fundamental nature. Although Fermi-surface, transport and thermodynamic signatures of the pseudogap phase are reminiscent of a transition into a phase with antiferromagnetic order, there is no evidence for an associated long-range magnetic order. Here we report measurements of the thermal Hall conductivity $\kappa_{\rm xy}$ in the normal state of four different cuprates (Nd-LSCO, Eu-LSCO, LSCO, and Bi2201) and show that a large negative $\kappa_{\rm xy}$ signal is a property of the pseudogap phase, appearing with the onset of that phase at the critical doping $p^*$. Since it is not due to charge carriers -- as it persists when the material becomes an insulator, at low doping -- or magnons -- as it exists in the absence of magnetic order -- or phonons -- since skew scattering is very weak, we attribute this $\kappa_{\rm xy}$ signal to exotic neutral excitations, presumably with spin chirality. The thermal Hall conductivity in the pseudogap phase of cuprates is reminiscent of that found in insulators with spin-liquid states. In the Mott insulator LCO, it attains the highest known magnitude of any insulator.

Cuprate high-temperature superconductors universally exhibit a phase of charge order and a mysterious pseudogap phase. Using thermopower measurements, the authors explore here how the cuprate La${}_{1.6\ensuremath{-}x}$Nd${}_{0.4}$Sr${}_{x}$CuO${}_{4}$ (Nd-LSCO) evolves across these phases. They find that the thermopower displays a large increase below the pseudogap critical doping point ${p}^{*}$ and becomes negative in the charge order phase below that critical doping point ${p}_{\text{CDW}}$. This evolution hints at profound changes in the electronic structure at ${p}^{*}$ and ${p}_{\text{CDW}}$. They observe that these two critical dopings are well separated, implying that the two phases are clearly distinct.

Author(s): Nair, NL; Boulanger, ME; Laliberte, F; Griffin, S; Channa, S; Legros, A; Tabis, W; Proust, C; Neaton, J; Taillefer, L; Analytis, JG | Abstract: We study Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations in single crystals of TaAs and find a previously undetected two-dimensional quantum oscillation that does not belong to the bulk Fermi surface. We cannot find an impurity phase consistent with our observations, and extensive diffraction measurements have not shown the presence of known impurity phases. We conjecture that the frequency originates from surface states that are sensitive to surface disorder. One candidate is the interference of coherent quasiparticles traversing two distinct Fermi arcs on the [001] crystallographic surface. The frequency and effective mass quantitatively agree with predictions of density functional theory and previous angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements of the Fermi arcs.

The specific heat $C$ of the single-layer cuprate superconductor ${\mathrm{HgBa}}_{2}{\mathrm{CuO}}_{4+\ensuremath{\delta}}$ was measured in an underdoped crystal with ${T}_{\mathrm{c}}=72$ K at temperatures down to 2 K in magnetic fields up to 35 T, a field large enough to suppress superconductivity at that doping ($p\ensuremath{\simeq}0.09$). In the normal state at $H=35$ T, a residual linear term of magnitude $\ensuremath{\gamma}=12\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}2$ mJ/${\mathrm{K}}^{2}\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\mathrm{mol}$ is observed in $C/T$ as $T\ensuremath{\rightarrow}0$, a direct measure of the electronic density of states. This high value of $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ has two major implications. First, it is significantly larger than the value measured in overdoped cuprates outside the pseudogap phase ($pg\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}{p}^{★}$), such as ${\mathrm{La}}_{2\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Sr}}_{x}{\mathrm{CuO}}_{4}$ and ${\mathrm{Tl}}_{2}{\mathrm{Ba}}_{2}{\mathrm{CuO}}_{6+\ensuremath{\delta}}$ at $p\ensuremath{\simeq}0.3$, where $\ensuremath{\gamma}\ensuremath{\simeq}7$ mJ/${\mathrm{K}}^{2}\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\mathrm{mol}$. Given that the pseudogap causes a loss of density of states and assuming that ${\mathrm{HgBa}}_{2}{\mathrm{CuO}}_{4+\ensuremath{\delta}}$ has the same $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ value as other cuprates at $p\ensuremath{\simeq}0.3$, this implies that $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ in ${\mathrm{HgBa}}_{2}{\mathrm{CuO}}_{4+\ensuremath{\delta}}$ must peak between $p\ensuremath{\simeq}0.09$ and $p\ensuremath{\simeq}0.3$, namely, at (or near) the critical doping ${p}^{★}$ where the pseudogap phase is expected to end (${p}^{★}\ensuremath{\simeq}0.2$). Second, the high $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ value implies that the Fermi surface must consist of more than the single electronlike pocket detected by quantum oscillations in ${\mathrm{HgBa}}_{2}{\mathrm{CuO}}_{4+\ensuremath{\delta}}$ at $p\ensuremath{\simeq}0.09$, whose effective mass ${m}^{★}=2.7{m}_{0}$ yields only $\ensuremath{\gamma}=4.0$ mJ/${\mathrm{K}}^{2}\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\mathrm{mol}$. This missing mass imposes a revision of the current scenario for how pseudogap and charge order, respectively, transform and reconstruct the Fermi surface of cuprates.

The heat carriers responsible for the unexpectedly large thermal Hall conductivity of the cuprate Mott insulator La$_2$CuO$_4$ were recently shown to be phonons. However, the mechanism by which phonons in cuprates acquire chirality in a magnetic field is still unknown. Here, we report a similar thermal Hall conductivity in two cuprate Mott insulators with significantly different crystal structures and magnetic orders - Nd$_2$CuO$_4$ and Sr$_2$CuO$_2$Cl$_2$ - and show that two potential mechanisms can be excluded - the scattering of phonons by rare-earth impurities and by structural domains. Our comparative study further reveals that orthorhombicity, apical oxygens, the tilting of oxygen octahedra and the canting of spins out of the CuO$_2$ planes are not essential to the mechanism of chirality. Our findings point to a chiral mechanism coming from a coupling of acoustic phonons to the intrinsic excitations of the CuO$_2$ planes., 29 pages, 8 figures

International audience; A self-flux method to grow very high quality single crystals of the superconducting HgBa2CuO4+δ mercury cuprates is reported. The single crystals are platelet-shaped, with surfaces of high optical quality and good crystallographic properties. Annealing enables optimization of Tc up to Tc max = 94 K. With adequate treatment, the doping level of the crystalline samples can be finely controlled in a wide under-and over-doped range. Preliminary structural characterization from single crystal X-ray diffraction data is given for different doping levels. The signature of under-and over-doping for both pure and gold-substituted crystals has been identified from micro-Raman spectroscopy measurements.

The perfectly linear temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity observed as T → 0 in a variety of metals close to a quantum critical point1–4 is a major puzzle of condensed-matter physics5. Here we show that T-linear resistivity as T → 0 is a generic property of cuprates, associated with a universal scattering rate. We measured the low-temperature resistivity of the bilayer cuprate Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ and found that it exhibits a T-linear dependence with the same slope as in the single-layer cuprates Bi2Sr2CuO6+δ (ref. 6), La1.6−xNd0.4SrxCuO4 (ref. 7) and La2−xSrxCuO4 (ref. 8), despite their very different Fermi surfaces and structural, superconducting and magnetic properties. We then show that the T-linear coefficient (per CuO2 plane), A1□, is given by the universal relation A1□TF = h/2e2, where e is the electron charge, h is the Planck constant and TF is the Fermi temperature. This relation, obtained by assuming that the scattering rate 1/τ of charge carriers reaches the Planckian limit9,10, whereby ħ/τ = kBT, works not only for hole-doped cuprates6–8,11,12 but also for electron-doped cuprates13,14, despite the different nature of their quantum critical point and strength of their electron correlations. A transport study of overdoped cuprates reveals a resistivity that is linear as the temperature approaches 0 K, and is associated with a universal scattering rate.

We have determined the magnetic structures of GdCuSn, GdAgSn and GdAuSn using a combination of [Formula: see text]Gd Mossbauer spectroscopy and neutron powder diffraction. Each compound shows the same antiferromagnetic ordering of the Gd sublattice. The magnetic cell is doubled along the crystallographic a-axis (propagation vector [Formula: see text]) with the moments aligned along the hexagonal c-axis, forming alternating ferromagnetic sheets of up/down Gd moments along the a-axis.

International audience; Er-166 Mossbauer spectroscopy measurements of CdEr2S4 show a large hyperfine field (B-hf) of 727.6(8) T at 5K and clear evidence for slow paramagnetic relaxation with an energy barrier to reversal of 114(3) K. This behaviour stands in strong contrast to that of the corresponding pyrochlores (Er2Sn2O7 and Er2Ti2O7) where no magnetic effects are seen down to 1.56 K. The clearly dynamic Er-166 Mossbauer spectra and the absence of a break in the susceptibility data suggest that there is no magnetic order above 1.8K in CdEr2S4. (C) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.

Neutron powder diffraction confirms that the primary ordering mode in Eu4PdMg is ferromagnetic with a europium moment of 6.5(2) μB. 151Eu Mossbauer spectroscopy shows that the unusual linear temperature dependence of the magnetisation reported for this system is an intrinsic property and not an artefact of the applied field. The form and temperature evolution of the 151Eu Mossbauer spectra strongly suggest that there is an incommensurate modulation to the magnetic structure that modifies the basic ferromagnetic order. This modulated structure may be the origin of the broad magnetocaloric response previously observed in Eu4PdMg.

A variety of "strange metals" exhibit resistivity that decreases linearly with temperature as $T\rightarrow 0$, in contrast with conventional metals where resistivity decreases as $T^2$. This $T$-linear resistivity has been attributed to charge carriers scattering at a rate given by $\hbar/\tau=\alpha k_{\rm B} T$, where $\alpha$ is a constant of order unity. This simple relationship between the scattering rate and temperature is observed across a wide variety of materials, suggesting a fundamental upper limit on scattering---the "Planckian limit"---but little is known about the underlying origins of this limit. Here we report a measurement of the angle-dependent magnetoresistance (ADMR) of Nd-LSCO---a hole-doped cuprate that displays $T$-linear resistivity down to the lowest measured temperatures. The ADMR unveils a well-defined Fermi surface that agrees quantitatively with angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) measurements and reveals a $T$-linear scattering rate that saturates the Planckian limit, namely $\alpha = 1.2 \pm 0.4$. Remarkably, we find that this Planckian scattering rate is isotropic, i.e. it is independent of direction, in contrast with expectations from "hot-spot" models. Our findings suggest that $T$-linear resistivity in strange metals emerges from a momentum-independent inelastic scattering rate that reaches the Planckian limit., Comment: 27 pages, 11 figures. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:2004.01725

The nature of the pseudogap phase remains a major barrier to our understanding of cuprate high-temperature superconductivity. Whether or not this metallic phase is defined by any of the reported broken symmetries, the topology of its Fermi surface remains a fundamental open question. Here we use angle-dependent magnetoresistance (ADMR) to measure the Fermi surface of the cuprate Nd-LSCO. Above the critical doping $p^*$ -- outside of the pseudogap phase -- we fit the ADMR data and extract a Fermi surface geometry that is in quantitative agreement with angle-resolved photoemission. Below $p^*$ -- within the pseudogap phase -- the ADMR is qualitatively different, revealing a clear transformation of the Fermi surface. Changes in the quasiparticle lifetime across $p^*$ are ruled out as the cause of this transformation. Instead we find that our data are most consistent with a reconstruction of the Fermi surface by a $Q=(\pi, \pi)$ wavevector., Comment: 32 pages, 11 figures