We present local structural evidence for the existence of charge inhomogeneities at low temperature in underdoped and optimally doped La_2-xSr_xCuO_4. The inhomogeneities disappear for x > 0.2. The evidence for the charge inhomogeneities comes from an anomalous increase in the in-plane Cu-O bond length distribution in the underdoped samples as well as evidence for CuO_6 octahedral tilt inhomogeneities in the intermediate range structure. Preliminary analysis of the temperature dependence of this phenomenon indicates that the inhomogeneities set in at temperatures in the range 60 K < Tco < 130 K which depends on doping.
@article{arxiv.cond-mat/0005032,
title = {Microscopic Charge Inhomogeneities in Underdoped La_2-xSr_xCuO_4: Local Structural Evidence},
author = {S. J. L. Billinge and E. S. Bozin and M. Gutmann and H. Takagi},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:cond-mat/0005032},
year = {2007}
}
Comments
8 pages, 7 figures, to appear in J. Supercond., proceedings of the conference "Major Trends in Superconductivity in the New Millenium, Klosters, Switzerland, April 1st-6th 2000"