We report extensive muon spin rotation measurements on the lightly doped Y1-xCaxBa2Cu3O6+y compound, which allows us to disentangle the effect of disorder, controlled by random Ca2+ substitution, from that of mere doping. A 3D phase diagram of lightly doped cuprates is accurately drawn, showing that a thermally activated antiferromagnetic phase competes with superconductivity around a quantum critical point, hidden underneath a frozen insulating magnetic state. Disorder suppresses both competing order parameters and unveils the underlying frozen state. Doping and disorder destroy the activated magnetic phase along a line of first order phase transitions that ends at the critical point.
@article{arxiv.1002.2610,
title = {Competing orders suppressed by disorder around a hidden quantum critical point in cuprate high Tc superconductors},
author = {S. Sanna and F. Coneri. A. Rigoldi and G. Concas and S. Giblin and R. De Renzi},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1002.2610},
year = {2010}
}
Comments
4 figures, v.2: new more intuitive 3D cuprate phase diagram