Quantum critical point for stripe order: An organizing principle of cuprate superconductivity

A spin density-wave quantum critical point (QCP) is the central organizing principle of organic, iron-pnictide, heavy-fermion and electron-doped cuprate superconductors. It accounts for the superconducting Tc dome, the non-Fermi-liquid resistivity, and the Fermi-surface reconstruction. Outside the magnetically ordered phase above the QCP, scattering and pairing decrease in parallel as the system moves away from the QCP. Here we argue that a similar scenario, based on a stripe-order QCP, is a central organizing principle of hole-doped cuprate superconductors. Key properties of La1.8−xEu0.2SrxCuO4, La1.6−xNd0.4SrxCuO4 and YBa2Cu3Oy are naturally unified, including stripe order itself, its QCP, Fermi-surface reconstruction, the linear-T resistivity, and the nematic character of the pseudogap phase.

► Stripe order causes the Fermi surface reconstruction in Eu-LSCO. ► From Seebeck effect measurements, we infer that stripe order also causes Fermi surface reconstruction in YBCO. ► Stripe order ends at a quantum critical point in Nd-LSCO. ► This stripe quantum critical point provides a unified understanding of key observations such as Fermi-surface reconstruction and the linear-T resistivity. ► The pseudogap phase has nematic character, suggesting it is a precursor effect of the static stripe order.