Modeling of superconducting stripe phases in high-T c cuprates

Abstract

Even before the experimental discovery of spin-and charge-stripe order in La 2-x-yNd ySr xCuO 4 and La 2-xBa xCuO 4 at x = 1/8, stripe formation was predicted from theoretical considerations. Nevertheless, a consistent description of the complex coexistence of stripe order with superconductivity has remained a challenge. Here we introduce a Hartree-Fock decoupling scheme that unifies previous approaches and allows for a detailed analysis of the competition between antiferromagnetism and superconductivity in real and momentum space. We identify two distinct parameter regimes, where spin-stripe order coexists with either one-or two-dimensional superconductivity; experiments on different striped cuprates are compatible with either the former or the latter regime. We argue that the cuprates at x = 1/8 fall into an intermediate coupling regime with a crossover to long-range phase coherence between individual superconducting stripes. © IOP Publishing Ltd and Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft.