Abstract
The ground state of the parent compounds of many high-temperature superconductors is an antiferromagnetically ordered phase, where superconductivity emerges when the antiferromagnetic phase transition is suppressed by doping or application of pressure. This behavior implies a close relation between the two orders. Examining the interplay between them promises a better understanding of how the superconducting condensate forms from the antiferromagnetically ordered background. Here we explore this relation in real space at the atomic scale using low-temperature spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy. We investigate the transition from antiferromagnetically ordered via the spin-glass phase in to superconducting . In we observe an atomic-scale coexistence of superconductivity and short-ranged bicollinear antiferromagnetic order. However, a direct correlation between the two orders is not observed, supporting the scenario of superconducting symmetry in this material. Our work demonstrates a direct probe of the relation between the two orders, which is indispensable for our understanding of high-temperature superconductivity.
- Received 28 November 2017
- Revised 26 April 2019
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevMaterials.3.084805
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