Detecting incipient stripe order in the high-temperature superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x

We review recent spectroscopic mapping measurements on Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x that establish experimental signatures of incipient stripe order. Model calculations show how to disentangle the effects of band structure and incipient order and allow us to model details of the energy-dependence of the observed modulations associated with incipient stripe order. Comprehensive doping and temperature studies reveal the correlation between the onset of the pseudogap and incipient stripe order in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x, yet they also show that stripes are most likely the consequence of the pseudogap rather than its cause.

► STM measurements establish the experimental signatures of incipient stripe order.
► Calculations disentangle the effects of band structure and incipient stripe order.
► Correlation between the onset of the pseudogap and incipient stripe order.
► Stripes are a consequence of pseudogap rather than its cause.