Scientists uncover hidden magnetic order in pseudogap phase
Physicists have identified a hidden magnetic order within the enigmatic pseudogap phase a peculiar state emerging in quantum materials just above superconducting temperatures unveiling insights that could advance the pursuit of room-temperature superconductivity. An international collaboration between experimentalists at Germany's Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics and theorists at New York's Flatiron Institute, part of the Simons Foundation, published findings this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Using a quantum simulator chilled to billionths of a degree above absolute zero, researchers recreated the Fermi-Hubbard model a theoretical framework for electron interactions in solids employing lithium atoms arranged in an optical lattice formed by laser light. A quantum gas microscope imaged individual atoms, capturing over 35,000 high-resolution snapshots revealing positions and magnetic orientations at varying temperatures and doping levels. Lead author Thomas Chalopin of the Max Planck Institute noted that magnetic correlations follow a unique universal pattern when plotted against a specific temperature scale matching the pseudogap emergence point.
Scientists long assumed doping removing electrons fully destroyed alternating antiferromagnetic structures in undoped materials. This study overturns that view, showing subtle magnetic organization persists at ultra-low temperatures. Researchers achieved unprecedented precision by measuring correlations among up to five particles simultaneously, a feat managed by few labs worldwide; prior work focused on pairwise electron links. Chalopin stated this reveals a mechanism potentially tied to superconductivity.
Understanding the pseudogap proves crucial for engineering advanced superconductors. In high-temperature versions, materials enter this regime where electrons behave oddly with fewer available states before achieving superconductivity. The experiments built on Flatiron Institute's Center for Computational Quantum Physics theories, including a 2024 Science paper. Director Antoine Georges highlighted how ultracold atom quantum simulators now access complex collective quantum phenomena. He anticipates cooler future runs probing new orders, stressing theorist-experimenter collaboration as simulations challenge classical algorithms.
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