Institute of Crystallography - CNR

Scale-Free Distribution of Oxygen Interstitial Wires in Optimum-Doped HgBa2CuO4+y

Novel nanoscale probes are opening new venues for understanding unconventional electronic and magnetic functionalities driven by multiscale lattice complexity in doped high-temperature superconducting perovskites. In this work, we focus on the multiscale texture at supramolecular level of oxygen interstitial (O-i) atomic stripes in HgBa2CuO4+y at optimal doping for the highest superconducting critical temperature (TC) of 94 K. We report compelling evidence for the nematic phase of oxygen interstitial O-i atomic wires with fractal-like spatial distribution over multiple scales using scanning micro- and nano-X-ray diffraction. The scale-free distribution of O-i atomic wires at optimum doping extending from the micron down to the nanoscale has been associated with the intricate filamentary network of hole-rich metallic wires in the CuO2 plane. The observed critical opalescence provides evidence for the proximity to a critical point that controls the emergence of high-temperature superconductivity at optimum doping.

Year
2022
Journal
Condensed matter
Impact factor
1.7
RESEARCH AREA
KEYWORDS
Authors
Campi, Gaetano and Mazziotti, Maria Vittoria and Jarlborg, Thomas and Bianconi, Antonio
Authors IC CNR