Charge-density-wave origin of cuprate checkerboard visualized by scanning tunnelling microscopy

Nature Physics, Volume 4, Issue 9, pp. 696-699 (2008) [Preprint PDF]

We have found that the checkerboard pattern observed in a number of high temperature superconductors has a peculiar doping dependence. As shown above, the wavevector increases as the doping decreases (that is, the wavelength increases as the doping increases). This is the opposite of what is expected in most theoretical explanations of the checkerboard pattern. In real space one would expect that as you add more holes to the systems (as you dope) that the distance between them would decrease and hence real space patterns such as the checkerboard pattern pictured above would also have a decreased wavelength with increased doping. This doping dependence is, however, compatible with Fermi surface nesting driven charge density wave order. Read more...